Qatar has extended strict quarantine rules requiring travellers to isolate for up to 14 days upon their arrival in the country, local media reported on Tuesday.
“For all arrivals – including nationals, residents and visa holders – quarantine requirements are now extended for all arrival dates up to 31 December 2020,” The Peninsula newspaper reported, quoting the Discover Qatar website.
Arrivals to Qatar from “low-risk countries” will be required to take a coronavirus test at the airport and sign an official pledge to adhere to quarantine at home for a week.
The travellers will then be required to undergo a second test and the quarantine period will end if results come back negative. If it tests positive, the person will be transferred to a government facility for isolation.
People arriving from “high-risk countries” will have to obtain a “virus-free certificate” no more than 48 hours before travelling from an accredited COVID-19 testing facility. They will then adhere to the home quarantine policy when in Qatar.
If travellers are not able to obtain a virus-free certificate in the country of departure, they will be required to book a hotel at their own expense for a week to quarantine for seven days before undergoing a COVID-19 test.
Qatari nationals, permanent resident cardholders, and prior approved visa holders are currently permitted into the country. They will be required to undergo a coronavirus test or quarantine upon return depending on whether the country of departure is low risk or not.
The Peninsula also reported: “There is a daily limit on arrivals entering Qatar and demand is extremely high.”
The current list of low-risk countries, as per the ministry of public health’s website, names 40 nations and includes China, Vietnam and Malaysia in the Asia-Pacific; the United Kingdom, Italy, France and Greece in Europe; and Morocco, Algeria and Turkey in the Middle East.
Qatar is one of the worst-hit countries in the Middle East – after Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and Morocco – reporting 128,405 confirmed coronavirus cases but only 220 deaths.
A total of 125,373 people have recovered from the virus since the start of the pandemic.
Source: Al Jazeera
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