Inbound flights to Qatar will be suspended from 18 March | Public Transportation stopped from March 15, 10:00 pm onwards

Inbound flights to Qatar will be suspended from Wednesday, 18 March 2020 | Public Transportation stopped from March 15, 10:00 pm onwards

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani chaired a meeting of the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management to follow up on all developments and precautionary measures to combat the spread of coronavirus COVID-19. Decisions and procedures directed by His Highness are as follows:

• Suspension of inbound flights to Qatar: Stopping all incoming flights to Doha, starting from Wednesday evening, corresponding to March 18, for a period of 14 days, renewable, with the exception of air cargo and transit flights.
• Qatari Citizen across the world: Receiving Qatari citizens coming from any destination in the world without specifying that with a period of time, provided that the quarantine is applied to them for a period of 14 days and inviting citizens and residents in to avoid travel during the coming period.
• Qatari Students: Qatari students located outside the country are advised to adhere to the policies in the country they are studying with the readiness of the country’s embassies to provide any of the necessary services, including facilitating the procedures for returning to Qatar.
• Metro and Bus Services: Public Transportation including Metro and Bus service operations ceases from 15^th March from 10 pm onwards until further notice.
• Work from Home: Allowing the following categories to work remotely: Employees over the age of 55, pregnant women, and people suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart and kidney disease, and high blood pressure
• Government Schools: All students in government schools start studying remotely from March 22, 2020, and students from grades one to eleven will be subject to a continuous evaluation system

His Highness the Amir also directed a number of packages on the financial and economic sector as follows:

• To support and provide financial and economic incentives, in the amount of QR 75 billion to the private sector
• The central bank to put in place the appropriate mechanism to encourage banks to postpone loan installments and obligations of the private sector with a grace period of six months
• The Qatar Development Bank to postpone the installments for all borrowers for a period of six months
• Government funds to increase their investments in the stock exchange by QR 10 billion
• The Central Bank provides additional liquidity to banks operating in the country
• Exempting food and medical goods from customs duties for a period of six months, provided that this is reflected in the selling price to the consumer
• Exemption from rents for industrial facilities for a period of six months
• Exempting the following sectors from electricity and water fees for a period of six months: Hospitality and tourism sector | Retail sector | Small and medium industries sector | Commercial complexes in exchange for providing services and exemptions to tenants | Logistics areas

Source: Qatar News Agency

For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar | Public can contact 24/7 hotline number 16000 (toll-free)

Also Read:

• Effective from Monday 16th March 2020, Dine-in at restaurants and cafes in Qatar has been banned | MOCI
• Residents with expired QID from travel banned countries can still come back to Qatar | According to a recent announcement from the Ministry of Administrative Labour and Social Affairs, The expatriates from countries who are denied entry to Qatar over coronavirus will be allowed into the country once the entry ban is lifted even if their Qatar IDs have expired or if they have stayed more than six months out of Qatar.