Heres what you need to know as Oman eases restrictions

The Sultanate has made a remarkable recovery from the raging Covid-19 pandemic after a successful vaccination drive, with only 61 cases and one death reported in 24 hours.

Only nine people were admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours.

There will be 100 percent attendance in all government sectors and institutions from Wednesday.

Vaccination mandatory

Individuals and establishments in the country are preparing to return to normalcy from September 1 with mandatory vaccination for entry into government and private establishments and lifting of the travel ban.

Heads of government and private units will be responsible for necessary measures to implement these decisions, a statement from the Supreme Committee said.

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning and Muscat Electricity Distribution Company (MEDC) have already issued notifications that visitors to their offices will have to present vaccination certificates through the Tarassud application.

“We will follow the Supreme Committee’s guidelines to allow entry only to vaccinated visitors from September 1. We have formed a dedicated team for this purpose who will be placed at all entry points of our outlets’’, said a senior executive of a hypermarket group.

While the Ministry of Health has expanded the vaccination campaign, it expects “Every citizen to receive the second dose by mid-September, following which it will start implementing the measures issued by the Supreme Committee.”

A mechanism will be put in place for the return of employees who were unable to obtain vaccinations before September 1.

Oman still on UK ban list

While Oman has not lifted the ban on arrivals from all countries, it has been not moved from the United Kingdom’s Red list to the amber list in the latest review.

Only seven new countries moved to the green list, with two moving down from amber to the red last week. The next review of the red, green, and amber travel lists is expected to be announced on September 15 or 16.

Oman will open the land borders from the first of September, while adhering to the controls announced by the Supreme Committee, including conducting a Covid-19 examination before arrival.

New visas

ROP will start issuing all types of visas from September 1, but the conditions of entry to the Sultanate related to receiving the two doses of the vaccine and other procedures according to CAA will be applied.

All visas issued since the start of 2021 will be extended until the end of the year, and no fees will be charged for the extension. Anyone who is outside the Sultanate can enter the ROP website and will find that these visas have been extended. ROP will start issuing all types of visas from September 1, but the conditions of entry to the Sultanate related to receiving the two doses of the vaccine and other procedures according to CAA will be applied.

Abu Dhabi green list

Abu Dhabi has added 22 new countries to its green list for travel into the emirate, with passengers from Oman, Qatar and the Maldives no longer needing to quarantine upon arrival in the UAE capital.

Oman green list

Apart from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, travelers from Sudan, Brazil, Nigeria, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Tunisia, Libya, Argentina, and Colombia can also arrive in Oman.

Vaccine and PCR tests

All passengers arriving in the Sultanate are required to present a vaccine certificate containing a QR Code stating that they have received two doses of a vaccine approved in Oman, or in cases where a single dose is approved by the Health Authorities of the Sultanate, have received one dose of such vaccine. The last dose is required to have been received not less than fourteen (14) days ahead of the estimated arrival time.

The Ministry of Health will continue to publish and update the list of vaccines approved in the Sultanate.

All arriving passengers who present a pre-travel negative result PCR test are exempted from quarantine. “The test shall indicate the medical test result which can be validated and certified with a QR code and the test shall be conducted 96 prior to the scheduled time of arrival in the Sultanate for the international flights of more than eight hours duration, including transit, and 72 hours for shorter flights,

All passengers arriving at the Sultanate without holding a negative PCR test are subject to a PCR test upon arrival where after the traveler shall be required to enter mandatory quarantine with an electronic tracking bracelet until a negative PCR test result is received.

However, in cases of a positive PCR test result, the passenger shall be required to undergo mandatory health isolation for ten days starting from the test date. Passengers who have recovered from Covid-19 but tested positive on arrival are exempted from health isolation providing they are able to submit proof that they have completed the prescribed isolation period in the country where they were infected before traveling to the Sultanate.

Single-dose

Residents and citizens who took the first dose in Oman and travelled abroad can return to the country but will have to follow protocols related to quarantine.