Qatar scraps pre-travel, post-arrival Covid tests

People in Qatar will not be required to show the Ehteraz status except at health facilities, it was announced Wednesday as Qatar relaxed the Covid-19 restrictions in force with effect from November 1.Covid-19 testing rules for travellers coming to Qatar have also been relaxed as part of the updated policy, while visitors entering Qatar are not required to pre-register on the Ehteraz health application prior to arrival.At its regular meeting Wednesday, the Cabinet reviewed a report prepared by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) regarding the latest developments pertaining to Covid-19 and took the following decisions:1. Amend the Cabinet's decision issued at its regular meeting No. 19 for 2022, convened on May 18, which obliged all citizens, residents and visitors to activate the Ehteraz application on smartphones when leaving the house for any reason and checking the green status on the application when entering public or closed places. Now, citizens, residents and visitors are obliged to activate Ehteraz and check the green status only when entering health facilities, the official Qatar News Agency reports.2. Continue to adhere to the Cabinet's decision issued at its regular meeting No. 36 for 2022, convened on October 19, which obliged citizens, residents and visitors to wear facemasks while visiting only health facilities. All employees and workers whose jobs require them to be in closed offices and communicate with clients must wear facemasks during work hours.3. This decision will come into effect on Tuesday, November 1, and remain in place until further notice.The Cabinet meeting was chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani at the Amiri Diwan Wednesday afternoon.Following the meeting, HE the Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Mohamed bin Abdullah al-Sulaiti issued a statement giving the details of the proceedings.Later, the Ministry of Public Health issued a statement announcing that a set of updates will be applied to the measures initiated to confront Covid-19, with effect from November 1. The decision came in view of the number of Covid-19 cases continuing to fall around the world and in Qatar, as well as the ongoing rollout of Qatar’s National Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, and is also based on the decision of the Council of Ministers issued Wednesday.The updates are as follows: * Citizens and residents of Qatar are no longer required to take a Rapid Antigen Test or PCR test within 24 hours following their arrival in Qatar.* Visitors are no longer required to present a negative Covid-19 PCR or Rapid Antigen Test result before travelling to Qatar.* It is mandatory for individuals to present the health status on the Ehteraz application when entering healthcare facilities in Qatar.Also, according to information available on the MoPH's Covid-19 Travel and Return Policy website, visitors entering Qatar are not required to pre-register on the Ehteraz health application prior to arrival, from November 1.The ministry has stressed the need for all citizens, residents and visitors to continue to follow standard precautionary measures to reduce the risk of infection. This includes being fully vaccinated against Covid-19, performing regular hand hygiene, getting tested if one experiences Covid-19 symptoms, and following a healthy lifestyle. Travellers have been reminded to visit the ministry’s Covid-19 Travel and Return Policy website to keep up-to-date with all the latest policy requirements.