H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, chaired the extraordinary meeting of the cabinet on 18th May 2020 through video conferencing. The Cabinet announced several new measures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
The Cabinet has decided to close all shops and stop all commercial activities from 19th May 2020 to 30th May 2020 with the exception of food and catering shops, pharmacies and restaurants that do deliveries. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry will determine the other necessary activities exempted from this decision. Cabinet also said that citizens and residents are obligated to install the EHTERAZ app.
After the meeting, the cabinet announced the following decisions:
1 – All citizens and residents are obligated to install the EHTERAZ app on smartphones when leaving the house for any reason. This decision is effective from 22nd May 2020 until further notice.
2- All citizens and residents are obligated to not have more than two persons in the vehicle, and a maximum of three persons are permitted in the following cases:
- Transportation in taxis and limousines.
- Transfer in private vehicles when driven by the family driver.
3- Ambulance and a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Public Health, security and military authorities are excluded.
4- Decisions regarding reducing the number of people transported by buses to half the capacity of the bus, taking into account precautionary measures and measures, shall be taken into account.
5- The practice of sport shall be in the areas close to the residence area, taking into account avoiding gatherings during the exercise and taking the necessary precautionary measures from wearing masks and leaving the safe distance. This decision is effective from 19th May 2020 until further notice.
6 – The Ministry of Interior shall take the necessary measures in this regard.
7- Closing shops and stopping all commercial activities during the period from 19th May 2020 to 30th May 2020, with the exception of food and catering shops, pharmacies and restaurants that submit external requests, and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry shall determine the other necessary activities exempted from this decision.
8- In the event of non-compliance with these decisions, the penalties stipulated in Decree-Law No. (17) for the year 1990 regarding the prevention of infectious diseases shall be applied to the violator by imprisonment for a period not exceeding three years and a fine not exceeding (200,000) two hundred thousand riyals or one of these two penalties.
