Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Oman on Tuesday reported 15 new cases of the Omicron variant and has introduced emergency travel restrictions for those entering the country effective immediately.
The sultanate has banned entry to passengers from six African countries to stop the spread of Omicron.
"The hospitals in Oman have detected 15 new Omicron cases. To prevent further spread, the Civil Aviation Authority has banned the entry of travellers from six countries, which are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini and Mozambique effective from Tuesday until further notice," state-run Oman TV reported.
All passengers arriving in Oman must be twice vaccinated and have a PCR test result from within 48 hours, overruling the previous PCR rule of 72 hours, the broadcaster said.
Oman TV also said the third booster rule has been revised after the new Omicron cases.
"Instead of a six-month requirement to get the third booster from the second vaccination, the period has been reduced by half to only three months, after the new Omicron cases reported," it reported.
Oman detected its first Omicron cases last week, with 12 people testing positive for the variant as the sultanate announced a booster vaccination programme for people over the age of 18.
The health authorities have also ordered all indoor public places, including malls, shops, schools and hotels to restrict their business to 50 per cent capacity until further notice. Weddings and funerals have been banned.
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
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