Coronavirus: Oman begins issuing tourist visas as beaches and cinemas reopen

Organised tours will be allowed to enter Oman

The registration for expats to leave Oman without paying overstay fine runs from November 15 until December 31, 2020. Reuters

More than 7,500 expatriates have registered for a waiver to leave Oman without paying fines. Titus Varughese for The National

The Hatta border crossing between the UAE and Oman. Satish Kumar / The National

On Sunday, the Health Ministry announced 721 new Covid-19 cases and 15 deaths. Reuters

Omani students wait in line to disinfect their hands before class amid the COVID-19 pandemic on November 1. AFP

Construction workers are the biggest group leaving Oman. AFP

The Health Ministry said that the number of patients in intensive care has dropped by 33 per cent to just 121 compared with a month ago. AFP

Bikers drive down a street in the Omani capital Muscat, on November 14, 2020, as part of the 50th National Day celebrations. / AFP / MOHAMMED MAHJOUB

Bikers drive down a street in the Omani capital Muscat, on November 14, 2020, as part of the 50th National Day celebrations. / AFP / MOHAMMED MAHJOUB

Tourists will be allowed to visit Oman for the first time since March as the country eases coronavirus restrictions in a bid to kickstart the economy.

On Tuesday beaches, cinemas, and parks were given permission to reopen by the Supreme Committee Responsible for Covid-19. The Sultanate also announced it would begin issuing tourist visas after eight-month hiatus, under certain conditions.

“The Supreme committee decided to allow the issuance of tourist visas to enter the sultanate, provided that the arrival of tourists is within the framework of tourist groups organised by hotels and tourism companies,” the Oman News Agency reported.

Events such as exhibitions, conferences and weddings will be allowed to go ahead, while kindergarten and nurseries will reopen for childcare.

But the easing of restrictions came with a warning from the committee.

“The decision is based on improving and reopening the economy that was restricted by the lockdown, but we urge everyone to be responsible for themselves and the general public by taking the necessary precautions to keep the rate of infection down,” the committee said.

Oman’s Ministry of Health reported 209 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases registered in the country to 123, 908 of which 115,441 have recovered. The ministry also added seven new deaths to the total of 1,430.

The total number of patients admitted at hospitals with the virus has dropped by nearly 25 per cent to 199 compared to the previous week, including 105 in the intensive care.

Business owners welcomed the news, saying the lifting of restrictions would boost operations.

“We were really hit hard by the Covid-19 restrictions on the wedding business. The closure of our halls has nearly bankrupted us and we were seriously considering closing them down,” Amina Al Habsi, 48, the owner of Crown Wedding Halls in Muscat, said.

“We are very happy with the news and hopefully we will reverse the financial situation very soon,” she said.

But not all Omanis are rejoicing at the opening up of businesses. Some voiced fears of a new resurgence of infections.

“I personally do not see any reason to be happy about the reopening of these activities,” Ali Al Jaddawi 66, a retired civil servant, said.

“The reason the infection rate has gone down is because these facilities were restricted. Now we will see crowded shopping malls, beaches, cinemas and parks. That will mean another wave of Covid-19 and it will be deadlier than where we started.”