Hotel quarantine is mandatory for people arriving in Qatar from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, Gulf Times reports quoting the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in Qatar.

In a statement on Monday, the MoPH said due to the emergence of a new strain of the Covid-19 virus in India, and in order to preserve public health in Qatar, it has been decided that no exceptions to the hotel quarantine policy will apply and that the following measures should be implemented for travellers coming from these six countries whether they are travelling by a direct flight or via other countries (transit):

1. All passengers whose original flight is from the said countries are subject to mandatory Covid-19 PCR test done 48 hours before departure from the testing centres approved by their local health authority. No one can board the flight to Qatar without a valid negative PCR certificate.

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

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

4. All arrivals from these countries must undergo a repeat Covid-19 PCR test at the quarantine facility within one day of arrival. The PCR test will be repeated during and before the end of the quarantine period.

5. All passengers transiting through Qatar must have the mandatory pre-travel PCR test as mentioned in point 1, and in case they require another PCR test for their onward destination, they can have it at Hamad International Airport for a standard fee of QR300 per test.

The measures are effective from Thursday, April 29 at 12am (00:00 hours) Doha time, the report said.

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