It is a fact we know that the safety of the people was number one during the corona epidemic. The Ministry of Public Health followed strict measures for their proper implementation. In 2020, they launched several acceptable practices related to the latest lifestyle. They also worked to make the public more aware of it during a period when quarantine laws were strictly enforced. Among them, we can take the headline “16 Persons Arrested in Qatar for Home Quarantine Violations,” which appeared in the Qatari news reports on March 30, 2020.

Covid 19 in Qatar

Acute respiratory syndrome is a significant part of the global COVID-19 pandemic caused by the Coronavirus. 

It was first reported in Qatar on February 27, 2020. Qatar has 436,820 confirmed cases, 930 active cases, and 431,091 confirmed cases. The number of deaths was 686, and the total death rate due to Coronavirus in Qatar was 0.14%.

Late last year, 3,904,273 people were screened in Qatar. Later, the number of deaths reported in Qatar was lower than the number of cases reported then. Qatar has an adequate healthcare system, and many residents are healthy. As the 2022 FIFA World Cup host country, Qatar has used strict protocols in that peace.

Challenges of the pandemic in Qatar

In the early stages of the outbreak, public health officials in Qatar faced a significant challenge in identifying patients. Lack of basic knowledge and experience about the disease was the problem. From the beginning, they isolated patients in separate buildings based on existing medical facilities to prevent the new spread of the virus to non-Covid-19 patients.

But the need for more infrastructure and an increased number of admitted patients was another challenge. The other issue is home quarantine violations. 

The root cause is the ignorance and carelessness of the people. For that, the Qatar government implemented the law. According to the last updated information, 16 Persons were Arrested in Qatar for Home Quarantine Violations. All of them are Qatari citizens.

The government take hold of measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Qatar.

The Qatari government has tried to enable everyday life with the quarantine rules. At that time, they focused on developing the infrastructure to perform their daily tasks remotely. They also launched plans to accommodate more than 18,000 people in a quarantine complex whenever necessary to reduce the spread of the virus.

The authorities strictly enforced the security law on the people to reiterate the need for home quarantine. 

The Ministry has also taken steps to provide a list of the violators of the quarantine rules. 

The Ministry further said they had to face the penalties as per Section 253 of the Penal Code No. 11 of 2004. To overcome the challenges to public safety during the epidemic, they implemented the Prevention of Contagious Diseases Act No. 17 of 1990.

To ensure the public’s safety, the Qatar Public Agency announced in a tweet that it would prosecute violations of home quarantine. They took strict measures as the number of cases in Qatar increased.

The government established a home delivery service by primary health care providers. Through that, the residents could get the necessary medicines without going out.

Employment-related quarantine practices

Qatar’s Ministry of Administration, Labor, and Social Affairs issued official notices to workers and employers. Accordingly, they confirmed the importance of cooperation during this period to reduce social and economic damage.

According to the contract, they continued to pay basic salaries, food, housing, etc., through the relevant proponents for the business sectors, activities, and various services that have yet to be stopped against the spread of the Coronavirus.

Agreements were made to allow employees to take unpaid and annual leave and reduce working hours for the sectors that were stopped at that time.

They also provide basic salary and allowances to all employees receiving treatment in isolation or quarantine regardless of whether they are entitled to sick leave.

Adequate stipends to employees at the end of contracts and until their repatriation are secured at the employer’s expense.

Economic stimulus

During the Corona epidemic, many people under home quarantine worked from home. For this, Qatar’s leading telecom companies like Ooredoo and Vodafone doubled the internet speed at no extra charge.

To ensure the education of students during home quarantine, the government of Qatar has taken steps to create strict digital content between educational institutions and students.

Also, during this period, Qatar’s mobile payment system was launched by Sheikh Abdullah bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor of the Central Bank of Qatar.

Stand up again

The Qatari government took a big stand during the Corona epidemic to return to the current situation. Many health measures were adopted to control the spread of COVID-19—restricting international travel to prevent confirmed cases outside the country from entering the country.

Qatar encouraged an innovative environment with research institutes, universities, and tech start-ups to work against the pandemic. Qatar government successfully developed Ehteraz to trace COVID-19 contacts. Accordingly, when the COVID-19 restrictions were eased last year, all Qatari citizens and foreigners needed to download Ehteraz.

Another vital step they take is to improve primary health and hospital and private clinic opportunities. The Qatar government established emergency counseling services to deal with such a situation again. The government made local technological initiatives to facilitate telehealth services for the people of Qatar.

After the last wave of COVID-19 in Qatar in March 2022,  the introduction of vaccination, there was a sharp decrease in overall cases. Confirmation that Qatar is healthy and safe coincides with the FIFA World Cup in the latter half of 2022.

However, they had taken strict preventive measures to control the resurgence of the virus during that period as well. However, by March 2023, like other countries in the world, Qatar will be in a state of health and safety. It is due to the continued operation of tourism and other services as usual.

Final thoughts

The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic immediately crippled all sectors in Qatar. Among the many challenges in Qatar were educating people and severely punishing people who violated quarantine rules. According to Twitter reports, the headline “16 Persons Arrested in Qatar for Home Quarantine Violations” was prominent then. 

However, the Qatari government took steps to recover from the epidemic through innovation. It is a good sign that the health and public safety practices and technological effects launched during that time are still working well.