Tribune News Network
Doha
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has amended its COVID-19 travel and return policy, making travel easier. The amended travel policy will come into effect from Wednesday, October 6, starting at 2 pm arrival time in Qatar.
In a statement, the MoPH said the purpose of the changes is to ease the process of travel and return to Qatar in light of the noticeable decrease in COVID-19 positive cases in recent times, with full commitment to preventive measures.
The MoPH said the ‘travel and return policy’ has been a key measure in the country’s strategy against COVID-19 and enforcing a strict policy has played a significant role in maintaining Qatar’s consistently low rates of COVID-19 infection.
As per the new policy, countries have now been classified into two lists — Green and Red, in addition to a secondary list of Exceptional Red Countries based on international and local health risk indicators and the epidemiology of COVID-19 in different countries.
The new policy has expanded the Green list to include 188 countries and whittled down the Red list to just 15 countries.
From Wednesday, pre-travel PCR test is no longer mandatory for fully vaccinated Qatari citizens and residents who are travelling from Green List countries. Instead, they will be required to do the PCR test within 36 hours of arrival.
Travellers are now required to sign an undertaking and acknowledgment form before arrival to Qatar.
The form is available on the MoPH website, online registration platform (Ehteraz website) and via airlines’ ticketing process.
The countries in the Exceptional Red List are India, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya and Sudan. Three more countries -- Indonesia, Kenya and Sudan -- are added to this list, taking the total to nine.
Visitors to Qatar from the Exceptional Red List countries will be subject to hotel quarantine for two days.
Travellers from these countries are further categorised into two group, who will face two different sets of quarantine conditions upon arrival in Qatar
Group A: Citizens, GCC citizens and residents of Qatar
Fully-Vaccinated: Two-day quarantine applies to fully-vaccinated travellers aged 12 and above as well as children aged up to 11 and accompanied by at least a family member who is fully vaccinated. Before travel, fully-vaccinated visitors are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, they will be PCR-tested at the quarantine hotel. For those vaccinated outside Qatar with one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Public Health, a serology antibody test will be carried out at quarantine hotel. A positive Serology Antibody test pre-travel is mandatory for individuals with two doses of a conditionally approved vaccine, with the validity of the test being 30 days.
Unvaccinated: Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers from ECR should undergo seven-day hotel quarantine. They, too, are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, a PCR test is required on the sixth day of quarantine and the individual will be released on the seventh day if the result of the COVID-19 test is negative.
Group B: Visitors
Fully-Vaccinated: Two-day quarantine applies to fully-vaccinated travellers aged 12 and above as well as children aged up to 11 and accompanied by at least a family member who is fully vaccinated. Before travel, fully-vaccinated visitors are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, they will be PCR-tested at the quarantine hotel. For those vaccinated outside Qatar with one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Public Health, a serology antibody test will be carried out at quarantine hotel.
Unvaccinated: Entry not allowed in Qatar for this category of travellers>
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has added two more COVID-19 vaccines -- Sinovac and Sputnik (V) -- to its conditionally-approved vaccine list. The conditionally-approved vaccine list has been updated to include Sinovac and Sputnik (V) COVID-19 vaccines in addition to Sinopharm vaccine.
A serology antibody test is mandatory before travelling to Qatar for people with two doses of a conditionally-approved vaccines and 14 days after the second dose, in which case only the traveller will be considered fully immune.
People who have received two doses of a conditionally-approved vaccine followed by one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and after 14 days from the last dose will be considered fully immune.
Visitors are now able to activate the Ehteraz mobile application using an international SIM card.
Non-residents of Qatar must register via online registration platform (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least 3 days before arrival.
Doha
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has amended its COVID-19 travel and return policy, making travel easier. The amended travel policy will come into effect from Wednesday, October 6, starting at 2 pm arrival time in Qatar.
In a statement, the MoPH said the purpose of the changes is to ease the process of travel and return to Qatar in light of the noticeable decrease in COVID-19 positive cases in recent times, with full commitment to preventive measures.
The MoPH said the ‘travel and return policy’ has been a key measure in the country’s strategy against COVID-19 and enforcing a strict policy has played a significant role in maintaining Qatar’s consistently low rates of COVID-19 infection.
As per the new policy, countries have now been classified into two lists — Green and Red, in addition to a secondary list of Exceptional Red Countries based on international and local health risk indicators and the epidemiology of COVID-19 in different countries.
The new policy has expanded the Green list to include 188 countries and whittled down the Red list to just 15 countries.
From Wednesday, pre-travel PCR test is no longer mandatory for fully vaccinated Qatari citizens and residents who are travelling from Green List countries. Instead, they will be required to do the PCR test within 36 hours of arrival.
Travellers are now required to sign an undertaking and acknowledgment form before arrival to Qatar.
The form is available on the MoPH website, online registration platform (Ehteraz website) and via airlines’ ticketing process.
The countries in the Exceptional Red List are India, Philippines, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya and Sudan. Three more countries -- Indonesia, Kenya and Sudan -- are added to this list, taking the total to nine.
Visitors to Qatar from the Exceptional Red List countries will be subject to hotel quarantine for two days.
Travellers from these countries are further categorised into two group, who will face two different sets of quarantine conditions upon arrival in Qatar
Group A: Citizens, GCC citizens and residents of Qatar
Fully-Vaccinated: Two-day quarantine applies to fully-vaccinated travellers aged 12 and above as well as children aged up to 11 and accompanied by at least a family member who is fully vaccinated. Before travel, fully-vaccinated visitors are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, they will be PCR-tested at the quarantine hotel. For those vaccinated outside Qatar with one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Public Health, a serology antibody test will be carried out at quarantine hotel. A positive Serology Antibody test pre-travel is mandatory for individuals with two doses of a conditionally approved vaccine, with the validity of the test being 30 days.
Unvaccinated: Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated travellers from ECR should undergo seven-day hotel quarantine. They, too, are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours before arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, a PCR test is required on the sixth day of quarantine and the individual will be released on the seventh day if the result of the COVID-19 test is negative.
Group B: Visitors
Fully-Vaccinated: Two-day quarantine applies to fully-vaccinated travellers aged 12 and above as well as children aged up to 11 and accompanied by at least a family member who is fully vaccinated. Before travel, fully-vaccinated visitors are required to produce a negative result on a PCR test taken 72 hours prior to their arrival in Qatar. Upon arrival, they will be PCR-tested at the quarantine hotel. For those vaccinated outside Qatar with one of the vaccines approved by the Ministry of Public Health, a serology antibody test will be carried out at quarantine hotel.
Unvaccinated: Entry not allowed in Qatar for this category of travellers>
The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has added two more COVID-19 vaccines -- Sinovac and Sputnik (V) -- to its conditionally-approved vaccine list. The conditionally-approved vaccine list has been updated to include Sinovac and Sputnik (V) COVID-19 vaccines in addition to Sinopharm vaccine.
A serology antibody test is mandatory before travelling to Qatar for people with two doses of a conditionally-approved vaccines and 14 days after the second dose, in which case only the traveller will be considered fully immune.
People who have received two doses of a conditionally-approved vaccine followed by one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and after 14 days from the last dose will be considered fully immune.
Visitors are now able to activate the Ehteraz mobile application using an international SIM card.
Non-residents of Qatar must register via online registration platform (www.ehteraz.gov.qa) at least 3 days before arrival.