Oman will open a new hospital dedicated to Covid-19 patients next week to cope with the influx of new infections, the ministry of health said on Monday.
The 300-bed centre is located in the old Muscat Airport. Next door, the government has already built accommodation for passengers who must enter quarantine when they arrive in the country.
On Monday, Oman reported 576 new infections and seven deaths, taking the total number of cases in the country to 94,051, while 85,781 people have recovered from the virus. The total number of Covid-19 deaths has reached 853.
Infections in the country fell to fewer than 200 cases a day in the first week of September but despite the resurgence, most people in the sultanate no longer consider the pandemic to be a threat.
Muscat’s old airport is adjacent to the new one. Oman has already reported that it would open the airport from October 1 but passengers flying in would need a medical certificate declaring them free of the coronavirus.
-
A health worker conducts a Covid-19 test on a man at a temporary screening centre in Ahmedabad. AFP -
Brazilian vendors protest against the government's labour restrictions to curb the spread of the new coronavirus pandemic, and unemployment, at a bus terminal in Brasilia, Brazil. AP -
People queue for free meals in front of a charitable restaurant in Ahmedabad. AFP -
Pedestrians walk past a sign for a Covid-19 test centre in Southend-on-Sea, east of London. AFP -
Passangers arriving at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Vantaa, Finland. Eased travel restrictions allow visitors from Germany, Sweden and other countries to arrive in Finland. EPA -
A general view of the departure hall at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Vantaa, Finland following the easing of travel restrictions that allows visitors from Germany, Sweden and other low-risk countries to arrive in the country. EPA -
Shoppers wearing face masks walk along Oxford street in central London amid a second wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the UK. AFP -
Monsignor Gerard de Korte leads a national memorial service for victims of the global coronavirus pandemic in St John's Cathedral in Den Bosch, The Netherlands. EPA -
A man makes his purchases in the streets of Vallecas neighbourhood, in Madrid. EPA -
People queue to receive food at San Ramon Nonato Catholic parish in Puente de Vallecas district in Madrid, Spain. AP -
Fans arrive inside the stadium ahead of the Bundesliga match between SV Werder Bremen and Hertha BSC at Wohninvest Weserstadion in Bremen, Germany. Getty
The ministry of health said on Monday it expected to immunise some staff by the end of this year.
“In the beginning and because of its limitation in numbers, the vaccines would only be available to frontline workers, including medical staff, the police and the army,” a Ministry of Health statement said.
Last week, an Indian nurse was the first frontline worker in Oman to die of Covid-19.
With cases rising, the authorities issued a warning they will close shops and restaurants that break safety regulations.
Authorities penalised more than 25 businesses in the past week and issued cautions to many more. They also fined shoppers in malls for failing to practise social distancing. Some vendors were fined for not wearing masks.
Health inspectors visited more than 500 business premises in the past week to make sure shop assistants and their managers were following the rules.
