MoPH announces mandatory quarantine for travelers from six countries

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced that no exceptions to the hotel quarantine policy will apply to those traveling from India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines.

The mandatory quarantine will be applied to those traveling either directly from these six countries or via transit.

The decision was made due to the emergence of a new strain of the COVID-19 virus in India, and in order to preserve public health in the State of Qatar.

MoPH has also communicated the measures that need to be followed when traveling to Qatar from the aforementioned countries.

Mandatory quarantine for travellers from India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines

The Ministry of Public Health announced that due to the emergence of a new strain of the "Covid-19" virus in India, and in order to preserve public health in the State of pic.twitter.com/XHrcRwLMDD

— وزارة الصحة العامة (@MOPHQatar) April 26, 2021

All passengers whose original flight is from the said countries are subject to a mandatory COVID-19 PCR Test which needs to be done 48 hours before departure from testing centers approved by their local health authority.

Individuals without a valid negative PCR certificate will not be allowed to board the flight.

All arrivals from those countries must undergo 10 days quarantine in a dedicated quarantine facility, or 14 days if quarantined at Mekhaines facility.

Home quarantine criteria are not applicable for travelers coming from these countries, including the exemptions due to vaccination or recovery from a previous infection with the virus during the past six months.

All arrivals from those countries must undergo another COVID-19 PCR test at the quarantine facility within one day of arrival.

Also, note that the PCR test will be repeated during and before the end of the quarantine period.

All passengers transiting through Qatar must have the mandatory pre-travel PCR test and in case another PCR test is required for their onward destination, they can have it at Hamad International Airport at the standardized rate of QAR 300 per test.

The Ministry affirmed state that it is closely monitoring the situation and taking the necessary measures in accordance with public health indicators in the State of Qatar and worldwide, encouraging the population to adhere to the precautionary measures in order to preserve the health and safety of everyone.

It is known that the new strains, including the one discovered in India, are more capable of spreading and more research is being conducted at the present time to identify the speed of this spread and the extent of its impact on the lives of those infected with it.

For more information on MoPH, please visit their website.