Commercial Establishments to Close on Fridays and Saturdays

By order of the Council of Ministries, commercial establishments in Qatar will close on Fridays and Saturdays starting on April 9, 2020. This is part of the measures introduced in the state of Qatar to stop the further spread of the virus.

Since the start of the pandemic, several measures have been implemented to ensure the safety of the people. These precautionary measures were released through circulars.

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Reduced Work Days

Select Establishments Exempted From Closure

Effective April 9, 2020, establishments and offices will be closed on Fridays and Saturdays. This decision is announced through Circular No. 16 by the Council of Ministries. While there are establishments that need to reduce their days of operation, these companies are exempted:

  • Food and subsidized supplies retail outlets (hypermarkets, supermarkets, and groceries)
  • Telecommunications companies (if located in the hypermarket)
  • Home repair and maintenance services (electricity, plumbing, and electronics)
  • Restaurants (for delivery only)
  • Clinics
  • Companies operating in the hospitality sector
  • Construction companies operating in State-run projects
  • Companies of apps providing order delivery
  • Factories
  • Pharmacies
  • Petrol Stations
  • Bakeries
  • Shops Selling Vegetables
  • Logistics services companies, and freight companies operating in ports, airports and customs services

This is the post from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry:

During the previous month, similar measures were also implemented in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus. Some of these measures were: temporary closure of mosques, public parks, camping sites and malls; prohibiting of any forms of public gatherings; lock down on some parts of the Industrial Area; promoting work from home for government  and private offices; reducing of hours of operations of some companies and commercial shops; reducing work hours of those employees who report to work physically.

For those businesses that are exempted from the temporary closure, the employees were given guidelines on how to ensure that they maintain the cleanliness of their work areas. Customers and crews are also called on to observe social distancing to For those offering delivery services, there are reminders to the delivery crew to ensure that the products they bring to the customer will still be clean and sanitized even after the trip.

Similarly, health officials conduct sanitation in different districts and other public areas.  They also oriented the citizens on how to observe proper hygiene. Online, there are various educational campaigns to teach the people on what to do during quarantine, how to wash hands properly, how to sanitize one’s homes, among others. There is also a hotline dedicated to answering concerns and questions regarding the virus.

The basic step to ensure that the virus will not spread further is to properly wash hands, as often as needed. It is also important to stay at home and only go outside when it is absolutely necessary.

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