Live: Supreme Committee Press Conference

Muscat: Members of the Supreme Committee is hosting a press conference.

Highlights from the meeting:

1- Minister of Health: The virus has mutated more than once and failure to comply with precautionary measures such as gatherings are among the reasons for the increase in the number of virus cases, new strains

2- Minister of Health: The lack of vaccinations has nothing to do with the financial problem. His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq, is an essential supporter of providing vaccines

3- Minister of Information: The government continues to take the necessary measures and requirements to protect society.

4- Minister of Health: Some refused vaccination due to rumours, and some of them got admitted in intensive care and passed away.

5-Minister of Health: The total number of patients admitted in hospitals touched 751. This is the largest number since the start of the pandemic. There are now 234 in ICUs and 1789 deaths in total.

6- Minister of Health: We hope that the teaching staff will be vaccinated before the beginning of the next academic year.

7- Minister of Information: We all have no choice but to continue our commitment to the established controls, and this commitment will guarantee a faster return to life as we knew it before the emergence of this global epidemic.

8- Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion: During the night lockdown movement ban which will be implemented during Ramadan, some activities will be excluded, including the movement of three tons of trucks, pharmacies on the shift system, and workers in the health and media sectors with a prior permit.

9- Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion: The proposal to provide delivery service during the closure period was discussed, and due to the difficulty in monitoring these activities, we decided not to exclude them.

10. Assistant Inspector General of Police and Customs for Operations: Two call centres operational. One for general topics and other to receive reports of violations of Supreme Committee decisions at 1099. “Anyone who has booked a ticket and has a valid visa is welcome to travel via Muscat International Airport.”

11. Minister of Information: Decisions of the Supreme Committee for the blessed month of Ramadan are subject to review. If cases decrease, rules can be relaxed or tightened based on the number of cases. "There is a specific methodology adopted by the committee to make decisions. There are specialised technical teams in the Ministry of Health that study the epidemiological situation in the Sultanate and raise their recommendations for study by the concerned parties in the various sectors and the Supreme Committee, and in the light of which decisions are taken.”

12. Minister of Information: “The situation may seem illogical ostensibly, as with the application of the closure there is an increase in the number of infections. But if we look from another angle, the nature of the virus and mutated strains and the existence of a new wave, without closures the numbers could be double.”