Tribune News Network
Doha
Qatar's Cabinet on Wednesday brought back the mask mandate, making the face cover a must in enclosed public settings from Thursday.
Masks are currently mandatory only on public transport vehicles, inside healthcare facilities and for customer-facing employees. The latest Cabinet decision will lead to people wearing masks more widely in places including malls, parks and markets amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
As per the Ministry of Public Health's last COVID-19 roundup, Qatar has 5,045 active cases, with an average of 662 people testing positive every day — 599 among people within the country and 63 among returning travellers.
The decision was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday after a review of a report by the Ministry of Public Health.
“The Cabinet reviewed the report of the Ministry of Public Health on the latest developments related to the Coronavirus and decided to amend its decision issued at its regular meeting held on May 18, 2022, by mandating citizens, residents and visitors to wear masks in closed public places and this decision will be implemented as of Thursday, July 7, 2022,” the Qatar News Agency said.
