Oman says adults must be double vaccinated to enter country, public institutions

Oman said Sunday that adults must be double vaccinated against Covid-19 if they wish to enter the sultanate and its public facilities, according to the country's official news agency.

A negative PCR test taken at least 72 hours before arrival must also be presented before entry to Oman, the news agency said, while authorities laid out tougher measures in the sultanate for the unvaccinated.

"Vaccination remains as a condition to enter public and private establishments", the special committee in charge of coronavirus-related measures announced.

The body also instructed people suffering from pulmonary diseases not to enter their workplaces, as the country's medics battle the disease.

Authorities cancelled a previous decision that had banned people from a number of southern African countries from entering Oman due to the Omicron variant.

These included South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique.

Oman reported its first two cases of the Omicron variant a fortnight ago, in citizens who had recently returned from travel abroad.

The country has so far recorded 16 Omicron cases, health minister Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Saidi said Monday.

Ninety suspected Omicron cases are being examined, the minister said.

The Gulf nation has one of the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates in the Middle East and North Africa.

About 90 percent of the population is double vaccinated, al-Saidi said, while 96 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose.

Oman has reported more than 305,000 cases of Covid-19 and just over 4,100 related deaths since the outbreak began.

Oman recorded 74 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday.