Oman will bar entry to arrivals from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh starting on April 24, as part of measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, Oman's supreme committee for coronavirus announced on Wednesday.
Those who have passed through these countries in the two weeks before travelling are also barred from entry.
The news has alarmed families split between the sultanate and the barred nations, leaving some worried they need to arrange travel in the short period before the ban comes into force.
"It will be the first time in our lives that my sister and I will not be spending Eid with our parents," Mohammed Attaullah, 33, an Indian resident in Muscat, told The National.
"My father is back home in India for kidney infection treatment in the last two weeks. My mother is with him at the hospital. He will be discharged on May 2 and he cannot now come back because of this new rule."
Sameer Khan, 42, a mechanical engineer said he will be separated from his wife by the new restrictions.
“My wife went to Pakistan for a short break to see her sick mother. Her return ticket is on April 29," Mr Khan said.
"It is too soon to make an arrangement for her to return before the 6pm deadline is on April 24. If I could find her a seat by then, it would mean paying extra charges. Otherwise, we will be separated for an indefinite period of time."
Oman joins several countries who announced bans on entry of passengers from India. India is currently facing a surge in coronavirus cases.
India's Covid-19 cases soared as a devastating second wave hit the country after a spate of crowded election rallies, festivals and religious gatherings. Hospitals across the country are struggling to keep up with the growing number of infections, running out of hospital beds and suffering shortages of oxygen for those in critical need.
Oman is working to tackle the number of cases of Covid-19 while moving forward with its vaccination campaign. Nearly 200,000 people have been vaccinated in the sultanate with the majority of those administered in Muscat.
On Wednesday, Oman's Ministry of Health reported 17 deaths and 1,077 new infection cases. The total number of deaths now has reached 1,926 while a total of 183,770 have been infected by the deadly virus.
On Wednesday, 115 people were admitted to hospital, bringing the total number of patients in hospital to 812, including 264 in intensive care units.
Also on Wednesday, the supreme committee barred children under the age of 12 from entering shopping malls.
A stay-home order will be enforced in the sultanate during Ramadan between 9pm and 4am.
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Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Bernardo Silva 16', Sterling 57', Gundogan 79'
Bournemouth 1
Wilson 44'
Man of the match: Leroy Sane (Manchester City)
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
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- Financial well-being incentives
You Were Never Really Here
Director: Lynne Ramsay
Starring: Joaquim Phoenix, Ekaterina Samsonov
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Porpoise
By Mark Haddon
(Penguin Random House)
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
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46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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