Qatar eases COVID-19 curbs

Cairo: Qatar has relaxed restrictions earlier reintroduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 after a significant decline in infections in recent days.

The latest relaxation scraps obligatory wearing of face masks in open areas and increase allowed gatherings. Accordingly, citizens and expatriates are required to only wear face masks in indoor places including mosques, education institutions and hospitals.

A maximum of 150 fully vaccinated persons and 20 unvaccinated others at most are now allowed to be present inside an indoor wedding hall. The number rises to a maximum of 300 vaccinated persons and 50 unvaccinated others at an outdoor hall. Meanwhile, commercial centres are allowed to reoperate at full capacity with all people, including the unvaccinated, are allowed entry.

Restaurants and cafes, issued the “Clean Qatar” certificate, are also allowed to operate at their full capacity in open-air areas and 75 per cent of their capacity indoors.

Other restaurants and cafes are allowed to operate at half of normal capacity in open areas and 40 per cent indoors, provided all customers have been fully vaccinated. Children under 12 years are allowed to get access to these places escorted by their families only.

Easing the restrictions, which came into effect Saturday, is seen as a fresh step towards return of life to normal in Qatar, a country of around 2.7 million people.

Around 87.3 per cent of the country’s population have been fully vaccinated, according to figures from the Ministry of Public Health.