DUBAI: Visitors to the Sultanate of Oman will now only have to present a valid negative PCR test and quarantine for a shorter period of seven days, state news agency ONA said.
Previously, visitors needed to quarantine for two weeks while PCR test resulted must not be older than 96 hours to be valid.
However, those arriving in the country must take a second PCR test upon arrival.
Last month, Oman’s Ministry of Education said all students except for 12th graders will continue remote education as part of coronavirus safety measures.
“Students from the Grade 1 to Grade 11 will study through the remote learning system, except for Grade 12 students who will have to attend their schools on a week by week system,” the ministry said.
School opened on Nov. 1 after Oman’s Supreme Committee confirmed its decision for the academic year, although teaching modality would be both online and offline to ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff.
School buses were also allowed to operate at half-capacity and classes will be based on hours of study, depending on the category of schools.
Social distancing, wearing of masks, washing hands at frequent intervals have been made mandatory.
The Sultanate has reported 115,734 cases since the start of the pandemic with 105,700 recovered patients and 1,246 deaths.
Oman cuts quarantine days for visitors
https://arab.news/nk39g
Oman cuts quarantine days for visitors
- Visitors previously needed to quarantine for two weeks
- Those arriving in the country must take a second PCR test upon arrival
Spain highlights importance of Gaza reconstruction
- Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian prime minister, Mohammed Mustafa, and the Spanish foreign minister, Jose Manuel Albares, on Friday discussed the latest developments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
During their telephone conversation they emphasized the need to intensify international efforts to end the Israeli occupation and halt attacks and settler violence, and to secure the release of Palestinian funds held by Israeli authorities.
They affirmed the importance of ongoing efforts relating to plans for the reconstruction of Gaza, and Europe’s significant role in this process. Mustafa and Albares highlighted the need to unify Palestinian institutions in Gaza with those in the West Bank, with the aim of establishing a Palestinian state in line with international resolutions, including last year’s New York Declaration.
They also discussed coordination between their countries, and the strengthening of Spain’s political, diplomatic and financial support for Palestine, and Mustafa thanked Spain for its ongoing support.
Spain officially recognized Palestine as a state in May 2024, in a coordinated move alongside Ireland and Norway. Estephan Salameh, the Palestinian finance and planning minister, is set to visit Spain this month to discuss enhanced cooperation, particularly in the areas of development and reconstruction. Meanwhile, Israel continues operating in the occupied West Bank.
The Palestinian Prisoners media office said on Friday that Israel carried out numerous raids across the territory, including the major cities of Ramallah and Hebron, according to The Associated Press.
Nearly 50 people were detained, following the arrest of at least 50 other Palestinians on Thursday, most of those in the Ramallah area.
As 2026 begins, the shaky 12-week-old ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has largely ended large-scale Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
But Palestinians are still being killed by Israeli fire, especially along the so-called Yellow Line that delineates areas under Israeli control, and the humanitarian crisis is compounded by frequent winter rains and colder temperatures.
On Friday, American actor and film producer Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip.
The only crossing between the territory and a country other than Israel, it remains closed despite Palestinian requests to reopen it to people and aid.
Jolie met with members of the Red Crescent on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing and then visited a hospital in the nearby city of Arish to speak with Palestinian patients on Friday, according to Egyptian officials.
Aid groups say not enough shelter materials are getting into Gaza during the truce.
