MUSCAT: Oman on Wednesday eased Covid-19 restrictions, allowing mosques to reopen with a capacity of not less than 100 worshipers for the five daily prayers (Friday prayer excluded), allowing exhibitions and weddings to resume, while also reopening public parks, beaches, and gyms.

Following are the decisions taken by the Supreme Committee:

• To allow reopening of mosques with a capacity not less than 100 worshippers for the five prayers only, not the Juma’ah (Friday ) prayer, according to the controls announced by the Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs, in coordination with the Ministry of Health
• To terminate implementing the decision which bans the conduct of business across the Sultanate from 8 pm to 4 am and to continue working with the decision to reduce the entry of visitors to complexes, shops, restaurants, and cafes to no more than 50% of capacity while allowing admission of children under 12 years of age.
• To allow the reopening of exhibitions, wedding halls, and other commercial activities which require people to gather together, provided not to exceed 30% of their capacity, and not to exceed 300 people in whatever case for halls with large capacities, while adhering to all preventive measures and requirements.
• To allow people to visit beaches and public parks, with an emphasis on preventing all kinds of gatherings and adhering to preventive measures and requirements.
• To allow the reopening of gyms at 50% of their capacity, while adhering to all preventive measures and requirements.
• To allow hotel guests and holders of affiliated club membership to go swimming pools, gyms, and their facilities in hotel facilities while adhering to all preventive measures and requirements.

The Committee also decided to extend the suspension of entry of travellers coming from the Republic of Sudan, the Federal Republic of Brazil, The Federal Republic of Nigeria, The Federal Republic of Tanzania, The Federal Republic of Sierra Leona, The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, The United Kingdom, the Republic of India, The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of Bangladesh, The Arab Republic of Egypt and the Republic of Philippines. In addition to travellers coming from the Kingdom of Thailand, the Federal Kingdom of Malaysia and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and those who have been in or transited through any of the aforementioned countries in the previous 14 days prior to their request to enter the Sultanate, effective Saturday, June 5th, 2021 at 2 pm and until further notice. the Committee hereby urges citizens not to visit the countries during this period.

The Supreme Committee stresses that the above-mentioned decisions aim primarily to mitigate the impact of this pandemic on the private sector and to stimulate its growth in a way that does not conflict with the commitment on the controls protecting the local community from the disease.

The Committee, therefore, calls on owners of these businesses to enforce the commitment to the approved precautionary controls, and follow up the compliance with these controls as the competent authorities will tighten control over violators. The committee confirms that it is on continuous review of its decisions suitably, including closing businesses and preventing movement of the situation requires.