2020 coronavirus pandemic in Oman

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Oman

Disease	COVID-19
Virus strain	SARS-CoV-2
Location	Oman
First case	Muscat
Arrival date	24 February 2020 (3 weeks and 2 days)
Origin	Iran
Confirmed cases	33 (MoH confirmed)
Recovered	12
Deaths	0

This article documents the impacts of the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic in Oman, and may not include all the contemporary major responses and measures.

Timeline

On 24 February, the first two cases of coronavirus were confirmed. These cases involved two Omani women who returned from Iran. On 27 February, the number of cases in Oman increased to 6. All cases in Oman are in stable condition so far. The cases were also linked to recent travel to Iran.

On 3 March, the cases increased to 12. Four of the infected patients are Iranian while the rest were Omani citizens. Three new cases recorded were linked to travel in Iran. Two of the cases are of Iranian nationality. To prevent community infections, the country placed 2,367 people under quarantine. Most of the people were under domestic quarantine while 49 were in institutional quarantine. As of 18 March, the total number of cases registered in the Sultanate is 33, of which 29 are travel-related. Of these, 12 cases have recovered so far.

Sultan Haitham formed a supreme committee tasked with dealing and responding to the developments resulting from the outbreak. On 12 March, the committee decided that tourist visas will not be issued to citizens of all countries and also stopped entry and docking of cruise ships in country's ports. Furthermore, all sports events were cancelled, court attendance limited to essential personnel and the sale of shisha prohibited in restaurants and cafes. These measures were implemented on March 15 for a period of 30 days. On 14 March, the committee decided to suspend all classes in schools, universities and other educational institutions from 15 March for 30 days. Another meeting held on the next day announced new restrictions which included stopping the entry of foreigners apart from GCC citizens and foreign residents via all land and sea borders, quarantining all arrivals and the closures of public parks and gardens. It was also declared that Friday prayers are to be stopped and social gatherings like weddings are banned. The decisions went into effect on 17 March.

Starting 18 March, the Sulthanate imposed further restrictions. The entry to the country was restricted only to Omani nationals, and nationals were not allowed to depart to other countries. All places of worship, including mosques were closed. All gatherings, events and conferences were suspended. The government banned public gatherings at all tourism sites and also announced closure of cinemas, gyms, sport clubs, barber shops and all shops in shopping malls apart from foodstuff and medical outlets. The popular souqs at various locations around the country such as Muttrah, Nizwa, Al Rustaq and Sinaw were also ordered to be shut down. Restaurants and coffee shops were also banned from serving food and only allowed takeaway services.