Saturday 14 / June / 2025
Muscat: Cinemas, parks, beaches and tourist areas such as forts and museums have all been allowed to resume operations as part of the latest package for the reopening of economic activities, issued by the Supreme Committee to deal with COVID-19.
The decision, which was announced by the Ministry of Interior, came into effect from December 1 onwards, includes the reopening of some 20 different activities, such as food courts, kindergartens and nurseries, exhibition halls, conference rooms, game arcades and parlours, shops selling and renting camping equipment, visa application centres, and rehabilitation and treatment clinics in the country.
Beauty salons and health clubs are also allowed to expand operations, while parking lots serving shopping malls can now operate at full capacity.
However, operators of activities that have been allowed to resume must make sure they follow all of the precautions required to ensure the safety of customers and employees, and minimise the spread of COVID-19 in the country.
Among the measures required for cinemas, food courts and parks to adhere to is to operate at reduced capacity, while social distancing is to be maintained between customers. Public facilities such as toilets and common areas are to be cleaned more frequently.
Preparations to welcome customers back to these places are already underway, with teams at these venues ensuring they follow all of the required precautions. A manager at a cinema operator in Muscat, who was preparing to welcome moviegoers on Tuesday evening, said their booking system had already been updated to reflect the new measures.
“Under the rules, we will not allow more than two people to sit together for a film,” he said. “The seats around these people, in all four directions, will be empty. Our housekeeping teams began readying the place for customers almost immediately after the news came through.
“90 per cent of the films we have are English and Arabic, because there have been very few Hindi releases right now,” he added. “We believe business will be slow for the rest of this year, but it will pick up in January.”
The National Museum, which, like other museums will open to the public from December 1, has taken the necessary precautions to ensure visitor safety. These include “providing a thermographic camera at the entrance for temperature measurements, hand sanitisers, which will be available across the museum, and payment through Wi-Fi channels,” the museum said in a statement.
“To ensure social distancing measures, a one-way route sign is posted.
“Furthermore, a minimised number of visitors are allowed in the museum galleries and elevator,” the museum added. “All visitors will be welcomed by dedicated guides for a guided tour with a limited number of guests per group.
People in the country were happy to hear of this latest announcement, with many already making plans for the weekend.
“We have been at home for quite a long time now, and have been unable to go anywhere,” said Ayman Al Sharji. “I understand it has been for our safety, but now that many countries around the world will soon be receiving the coronavirus vaccine, it makes sense for all of these activities to reopen.
“The pandemic has hit all of us hard, and this is particularly in the case of restaurant owners, cinema operators and many others,” he added. “They will be relieved to hear this because they can start earning money again.”
Jaya Rao, an Indian expat, added, “we like exploring the different parts of Oman, such as its forts and souqs, and our children love the heritage of the country, but we haven’t been able to share it with them for the last few months since all of these places were closed. We’re planning to visit one of the forts in the capital this weekend…hopefully they will enjoy going there.”
