Qatar announces more Covid relaxations, masks not mandatory in malls

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at its seat at the Amiri Diwan on Wednesday. Following the meeting, HE Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Sulaiti issued the following statement: At the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet extended its highest congratulations and blessings to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the occasion of the approaching blessed month of Ramadan, wishing His Highness good health and happiness, and to Qatar and its honorable people and residents more prosperity and development under the wise leadership of His Highness, and to the Arab and Islamic nations security, peace and stability. The Cabinet praised the important contents contained in HH the Amir's speech at the opening of the 20th session of the Doha Forum, which took place from March 26-27 under the theme 'Transformation into a New Era.' The Cabinet affirmed that HH the Amir's speech identified the problems and challenges the world is currently facing, and charted wisely, with clarity and insightful vision, for the best way to solve these problems and face challenges for a new era in which peace, security, development, social justice and human dignity prevail for all peoples of the world. The Cabinet also affirmed that the rich discussions and issues raised during the Doha Forum provided the world with a model for a culture of constructive and fruitful dialogue, and the extent of its importance and necessity, especially in light of these delicate and dangerous international conditions that the world is currently going through. The Cabinet welcomed the approval of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to start implementing the Doha Flight Information Region on the basis of a phased approach, as well as its approval to draw and define the dimensions of the Doha Flight Information Region (FIR) and the Doha Search and Rescue Region (SRR). This will enable the State of Qatar, during the implementation of the first phase of the Doha Flight Information Region, to add new air routes, increase the capacity of the aircraft waiting area in the air, in addition to increasing the search and rescue space in accordance with the new dimensions of the region, in line with the great developments and achievements witnessed by the civil aviation sector in the country. and confirming its explicit right to establish its own aviation territory. 

The Cabinet listened to the explanation given by HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan bint Mohamed Al Kuwari on the latest developments to curb the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19). After reviewing the report of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management regarding the plan to gradually lift the COVID-19 restrictions, it has decided the following: First: 1- Allow entry to closed public places is allowed according to the following: A- All citizens, residents and visitors, who have completed doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, those recovering from the disease and people whose health condition prevents them from taking the vaccine based on a medical report from the authorities determined by the Ministry of Public Health. B- All citizens, residents and visitors, who did not complete or did not receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, at a rate not exceeding 20 percent of the capacity after conducting a rapid antigen test approved by the Ministry of Public Health, for the following indoor public places: - Physical training clubs. - Sports events. - Conferences, exhibitions and events. Provided that the rapid antigen test was conducted during the 24 hours prior to entering those indoor places. 2 - Continuing to adhere to the requirements set by the Ministry of Public Health for holding any conference, exhibition or event. 3- The continuation of all employees in the government sector to carry out their work from the office and allowing all employees in the private sector to work from the office. 4- Continuing to oblige all employees and workers in the public and private sectors to conduct a rapid antigen test approved by the Ministry of Public Health, on a weekly basis, for employees and workers who have not received or completed doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Employees and workers who have completed doses, those recovering from the disease and people whose health condition prevents them from taking the vaccine, are exempted from conducting this examination based on a medical report from the authorities determined by the Ministry of Public Health. 5- Obligating all citizens, residents and visitors to wear masks in all closed public places, except for malls, unless they are inside the shops, and not obligating them to wear masks in open public places. All workers in the facilities, whose nature of work requires being in open spaces and communicating with customers, must wear masks during their work period. 6- Continuing to obligate all citizens, residents and visitors to activate the EHTERAZ application on smartphones when leaving the house for any reason. 7- Continuing to allow the holding of wedding parties. Second: Compliance with the health requirements, procedures, precautionary measures and controls determined by the Ministry of Public Health shall be taken into consideration. Third: The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and other government agencies - each within its jurisdiction - take the necessary measures in this regard, to ensure compliance with health requirements, procedures, precautionary measures and established controls. Fourth: These decisions shall come into effect as of Saturday, April 2, 2022, until further notice. 

After that, the Council considered the topics on the agenda, as follows: First - Approval of a draft Cabinet decision specifying some facilities under the provisions of Law No. 9 of 2011 regulating the use of security and surveillance CCTV cameras and devices will apply. Second - Approval of a draft decision of the Minister of Commerce and Industry to form a committee to set the maximum prices and profit rates. The preparation of the draft decision comes to replace Decision No. 169 of 2011 to form a committee to set the maximum prices and profit rates. The draft stipulated that the committee would be formed under the chairmanship of the Assistant Undersecretary for Consumer Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and the membership of representatives from a number of authorities, and it would be responsible for determining the basic goods and services to be set the maximum price and the percentage of profits, studying the market to find out the prices of goods and services traded in it, companies' requests and consumer complaints related to changing the prices of goods and services or the profit rates set for them, setting the maximum limits for the prices of some goods and services and the wages of some businesses and their fair profit rates. Third - Take the necessary measures to ratify an agreement between the United Nations, represented by the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, and the State of Qatar regarding the establishment of the Analysis and Communication Center of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict in the State of Qatar. Fourth - The Cabinet reviewed the results of the 36th session of the Regional Conference for the Near East and North Africa, and took the appropriate decision.