Saudi Gazette report

MUSCAT — Travelers from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will not be allowed to enter Oman, starting April 24 (Saturday) until further notice as the Sultanate introduced on Wednesday a slew of stringent measures to combat the second wave of coronavirus, the Oman News Agency reported.

The new measures, which were taken by the country’s top committee to deal with coronavirus during a meeting headed by Interior Minister Hammoud Bin Faisal Al-Busaidi, are the following:

— Travelers coming from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and those coming from any other country if they passed through any of these countries during the last14 days will not be allowed to enter the Sultanate. The move, which will come into force at 6 p.m. on April 24 (Saturday), exempts Omani citizens, diplomats, health workers, and their families, and the excluded groups will be subject to the regular procedures adopted upon entering the Sultanate.

— Children under the age of 12 are not allowed to enter malls and shopping centers. Shopping complexes, shops, restaurants, and cafes should allow customers exceeding 50 percent of their capacity and legal measures will be taken against the violators.

— The distance education will continue for all classes in public and private schools and all higher education institutions, except for the 12th grade for their practical tests.

Meanwhile, Oman recorded on Wednesday 1,077 new cases of coronavirus and 17 more deaths, bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in the Sultanate to t183,770 and virus-related fatalities to 1,926, according to a statement from the country’s health ministry.

The ministry also pointed out that 1,094 new cases have recovered, bringing the total number to 163,750 recoveries.

The Ministry also pointed out that 115 cases were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, adding that the total number of current hospitalized Covid-19-infected patients stands at 812, of them 264 are in intensive care units (ICUs).