Oman extends border closure as coronavirus cases increase

Concern over fast-spreading variants of the virus prompts sultanate to tighten restrictions

This picture shows a partial view of the seaside corniche in the Omani capital Muscat on September 18, 2020. AFP

Oman extended its border closure for an indefinite period as the number of coronavirus infections continued to rise, the Oman News Agency said on Monday.
The sultanate first closed its borders for a week on January 18 in response to reports of fast-spreading variants, and the latest decision is the fourth extension.
"In the light of safety for the general public, it has been decided to extend the border closure for an indefinite period as the number of cases are still rising," the Ministry of Health said.
Omanis with underlying medical issues said they wanted the government to order a lockdown to prevent coronavirus spread.

A business owner carries a placard that reads 'No closure without compensation' during a protest in Kuwait City against the closure of salons and health clubs in Kuwait as a measure to stem the spread of the coronavirus. EPA

Business owners display placards during an anti-closures protest in Kuwait City. The Kuwaiti government stopped non-Kuwaitis entering the country for two weeks starting from February 7 to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. EPA

This Kuwaiti demonstrator's placard reads 'Closure ends in bankruptcy and jail'. All businesses, including malls, must close between the hours of 8pm and 5am. EPA

'Just as we have a duty towards you, you have a duty towards us' reads this business owner's placard displayed at a Kuwait City protest against the closure of small businesses as an anti-coronavirus measure. EPA

'Why should we, the innocent, bear the burden of your mismanagement of the crisis?' asks an owner at the protest against the closure of businesses in an effort to tackle Covid-19. EPA

A business owner in Kuwait City with a placard reading 'Closure ends in bankruptcy and jail'. The Kuwaiti government is being urged to rethink its closure of salons and health clubs to contain the spread of the coronavirus. EPA

Mohammed Al Lawati, 72, who recently recovered from a heart attack, said: “It is a surge we see now, with 316 cases today.

"We had daily cases under 200 for about a month or so which means many people are not adhering to safety rules. If it goes on like this for the rest of the week, we will need a lockdown to tame the number of infections.”

On Monday, the ministry said it had registered 316 more coronavirus cases and one death from the virus.

The last time Oman reported more than 200 cases on a single day was on December 21, with 264 cases.

Last week, Health Minister Dr Ahmed Al Saeedi ruled out an immediate lockdown but said the matter "was under consideration".
Oman on Sunday began the second phase of vaccination after receiving 100,000 doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured under licence by the Serum Institute of India.
The sultanate began its vaccination campaign using Pfizer-BioNTech inoculations on December 7 and about 30,000 people were vaccinated in the first phase.
On January 28, Oman announced an indefinite ban on public and private gatherings as daily coronavirus case numbers increased.
The sultanate's supreme committee responsible for tackling the pandemic said the ban included education institutions, weddings, conferences, seminars and exhibitions.

The total number of cases in Oman has reached 135,990, including 127,853 recoveries and 1,535 deaths, according to Worldometers.

Twenty-eight patients were sent to hospital during the past 24 hours, taking the total number of patients in hospitals to 136, including 34 in intensive care.