MUSCAT: The national survey for coronavirus which began on Sunday will help the government to make a decision on the reopening of mosques, schools, colleges and other activities, a top official said.

Speaking in an interview with Oman TV, Dr. Saif Al Abri, Director-General of Disease Control and Control at the Ministry of Health said the serological survey will take blood samples from both citizens and expats in the next 10 weeks. “This will help us to find out the length at which this virus has spread among the community. At the same time if the community immunity is strong, it will help us make certain decisions on reopening schools, colleges, mosques and other facilities,” Al Abri said.

According to Al Abri, MOH is expected to examine 20,000 people in the country. “This is a random examination where we will test 5,000 people from each governorates. 400 people will be tested each week from all governorates. Those who will be tested will be directly contacted by MOH,” Al Abri added.