Oman lifts all remaining Covid-19 measures

Oman on Sunday lifted all Covid-19 precautionary measures across the sultanate.

The decision was announced by Oman's Covid-19 Supreme Committee, which was tasked with managing the pandemic in the country.

The committee called on Omanis to keep abiding by preventive measures put in place during the peak of the pandemic - like wearing a mask in case of contact with a positive case, and staying home and isolating in case of any Covid-19 symptoms.

"The Supreme Committee urges everyone, especially the elderly, people with chronic diseases and those with immunodeficiency, to adhere to wearing a mask in closed places and for citizens and residents to receive the booster dose of the vaccine," the committee said in a statement shared by the official Oman News Agency.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 389,000 infections and 4,200 Covid-related deaths have been reported in Oman, a country with a population of around 5 million. 

The sultanate experienced a surge of Covid cases in the summer 2021, including several cases of black fungus - a complication of Covid-19 that was first reported in India. The sultanate started lifting restrictions and reopening mosques in the fall 2021.

Some of Oman's neighbours also started lifting Covid precautionary measures earlier this year. Saudi Arabia lifted most measures in March in a bid to facilitate the yearly holy Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. The United Arab Emirates also announced gradually relaxed measures in February, without lifting them entirely.