Tribune News Network
Doha
It is very likely that the new strains of the coronavirus have reached Qatar, a senior health official has said.
“It is very likely that the new strains of the coronavirus have reached Qatar and following the precautionary measures is important more than ever,” Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Chair of the National Health Strategic Group on COVID-19, said at joint press conference on Wednesday.
“Qatar has recently witnessed a remarkable increase in the number of daily COVID-19 infections, especially since the middle of last month,” he added.
Most of the infections are attributed to people mixing in private places, visits and family events,” Dr Al Khal said.
“Recently, there’s rise in daily hospital admissions, which could be an early indicator of a possible second wave of the virus in the country,” Al Khal said.
He said although the vaccine is effective against the virus, the precautionary measures are now more important than ever, even if the vaccine is taken.
“The size of the second wave is not clear, but taking precautionary measures and community cooperation will curb the intensity of this wave,” he added.
Dr Al Khal said, “The application of some restrictions will benefit everyone. Nevertheless, we will definitely witness an increase in infections in the coming days.”
“We will not wait until the situation worsens and the cases increase dramatically. These measures are considered a preemptive step to flatten the curve, to limit the spread of the virus and to reduce the number of infections, which will positively affect hospital admissions,” he said.
Dr Al Khal said Qatar aims to continue the educational process.
“The government of Qatar aims to maintain the educational process without exposing society to danger. The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, will closely monitor the situation in schools and take the appropriate decision,” he said.
Dr Al Khal said, "The government of Qatar advises citizens and residents not to travel in the current period unless absolutely necessary and it is preferable that travel takes place one week after taking the second dose of the vaccine."
For his part, Brigadier-General Abdullah Khalifa Al Muftah, Director of the MoI's Public Relations Department, “A total of 14, 513 people have so far violated the precautionary measures, including nearly 10,000 in the past three months only.”
In January, he said, the number of people found violating the mask mandate reached more than 4,100, and this indicates the laxity of some in adhering to the precautionary measures.
He said the requests for weddings will soon become available in Metrash app.
“The Information Systems Department will work during the coming period to find request for weddings through the Metrash application. This service will be announced as soon as it becomes available in the application,” he said.
Brigadier General Al Muftah said, “There will be more measures, whether through mobile, fixed or foot patrols, and it will include residential areas and commercial streets.”
For his part, Saleh Al Khulaifi, Assistant Undersecretary for Trade Affairs at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said, “We urge the shops to increase e-commerce services as much as possible and support companies in completing this vital trend.”
He said the capacity of many shops will be reduced, and restaurants will be directed to participate in the "Clean Qatar" programme in cooperation with the Qatar National Tourism Council.
