Need full compliance of public health and safety measures

Relaxed entry procedures for fully vaccinated citizens and residents will take effect in Qatar tomorrow, but it is essential that travellers fully observe and comply with the current safety measures in the country. The relaxation in ‘Covid-19 Travel and Return Policy’ followed significant improvement in pandemic conditions in the country and abroad.Citizens and residents coming from any country do not need a PCR test if fully vaccinated or recovered and are exempted from quarantine. However, they will still need a Rapid Antigen Test at any public or authorised private clinic within 24 hours of arrival in Qatar.Clearly, Qatar has done well by maintaining one of the lowest Covid-19 death rates in the world, besides registering a significant fall in the number of hospital admissions and a decrease in the number of daily cases until a few weeks ago.At the peak of the coronavirus last year, Qatar had seen more than 2,000 new confirmed cases a day.Measures to tackle Covid-19 in Qatar have succeeded in flattening the curve and limiting the spread of the virus and the number of new daily cases and hospital admissions.However, in the overall interest of the community at large, residents should not get their guard down. Current public health and safety measures must be fully complied with. Residents have been advised not to travel to the airport if showing any of the following symptoms: fever, dry cough, shortness of breath and loss of smell or taste. Residents must also continue masking and maintain social distancing wherever required.While there is a significant improvement in the pandemic situation, it is still important to observe the preventive and precautionary measures against Covid-19, which spreads mainly from person to person through respiratory droplets.Respiratory droplets travel into the air when one cough, sneeze, talk, shout, or sing. These droplets can then land in the mouths or noses of people who are near a person or they may breathe these droplets in.Masks are a simple barrier to help prevent one’s respiratory droplets from reaching others. Studies show that masks reduce the spray of droplets when worn over the nose and mouth.For this reason, one should wear a mask, even if one does not feel sick.This is because several studies have found that people with Covid-19 who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic) and those who are not yet showing symptoms (pre-symptomatic) can still spread the virus to other people.The Covid-19 pandemic has placed a new level of personal accountability on each one of us. To slow the spread of coronavirus and protect the health and vitality of our people, we must remain committed to the extra precautions our public health officials are recommending.At the core of these preventive measures is the need for continued social distancing and to take all of the precautions seriously — even if one is healthy.Protect yourself and others around you by knowing the facts and taking appropriate precautions. And follow advice provided by our health authorities.