Come September 1, and Oman will be back to its vibrant self as the borders are being opened and the people from around 20 countries can safely come to the country if they are vaccinated. 

This is a pioneering decision, setting a model for many other countries as well, at the same time declaring that the economy should not be locked down for longer periods. There should be perfect balance between health and economy to ensure sustainable social security, employment generation and development in any country.

Now that the vaccination drive has covered around 70 percent of the population, the opening would definitely give momentum to Oman’s forward journey too.

As per the latest announcement, even the partially vaccinated people can come back to Oman, if the vaccine is approved by the country, and they have to follow the prevailing rules, which is of course justified. For the fully vaccinated people with Covid negative certificate quarantine is not mandatory.

When the country was locked down in the wake of the increasing cases of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was concern if the people whose visas have been expired would be able to come back if the lockdown continued for long. The authorities have pragmatically addressed such issues and the visas issued since the beginning of January 2021 will be extended until the end of the year.

Such initiatives that would benefit the expatriates a lot would bring the country back to its organic structure thus giving a fillip to the steps taken to ring in a resurgent economy.

What is more interesting is that these measures are aimed at boosting the confidence of the people, because these are based on precaution than panic, and it is clearly strategic to prevent the spread of the virus at the same time ensuring there is no spread of the fear factor.

With the vaccines that the Sultanate has reserved so far exceeds 8,570,000 doses and around 70 percent of the population has already been vaccinated, the authorities are confident that the relaxation would not lead to any further outbreak.

What makes the difference here is that the relaxation is applicable to many countries including India. The directive says that the travellers are required to show a negative Covid-19 PCR test result with a QR Code and also the vaccination certificate, with the second dose administered at least 14 days ahead of estimated arrival time.

According to the Minister of Health, even those residents who have taken one dose of the approved vaccine can come back on the condition that they have undergone PCR test 72 hours before travel, and another PCR upon arrival in Oman and also go into quarantine for 7-days. They must also take a PCR test on the 8th day. They should also vaccinate with the second dose at the earliest, adhering to the norms. Moreover, the country has a fool-proof system in place to ensure that the people follow the quarantine rules.

The authorities have made QR code mandatory for every certificate related to the vaccination to ensure there is no manipulation. For those who have completed their vaccination as well as those who have pre-travel negative certificate after conducting PCR test, the certificate should have QR code to be considered valid and they should upload the certificate on the Tarassud+ app before boarding the flight.

According to the Supreme Committee, which takes the decision on such matters, QR code has been made mandatory for the vaccination as well as PCR test negative certificates to ensure there is no forgery. In some countries, there were complaints of people managing to get forged certificate. Since many countries have adopted it and the World Tourism Organisation has introduced a link for countries to check the tests and certificates verified through the QR, this is the most pragmatic measure to prevent forgery, according to the officials.

Though the lockdown measures had made life bit tough for the common people, the authorities point out that the precautionary measures including closure and movement ban were most feasible. In the recent days there was sharp decline in the positive cases, which is a pointer to the efficacy of the measure.

Now that the borders are being opened and the life is slowly back to normal, the officials are pondering over the possibility of permitting Friday prayers in the mosques, of course adhering to the preventive measures.

Yes, the country with a clear vision is making a comeback from the Covid times, thus guiding the Gulf region to a new future.

About the author: Reena Abdulrahman is the Chief Operating Officer of Alhind Travel and Tours for GCC and Africa. Reena has over 21 years of experience working with top airlines in the region.