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Covid-19 in Oman
Last update: 31/01/2021
Travel in Oman at the time of coronavirus
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Oman is open! Oman is open to tourists again!
Well, so far, it is still complicated to come and spend holidays in Oman as a 7-day quarantine is required for anybody entering the national territory. This restriction was reinforced at the end of 2020 following the discovery of the “English” virus strain. These days, the cases are very few in the country and the government does not want this more virulent strain to enter Oman and cause an epidemic rebound. This being said, the vaccination campaign has well started and we can hope the quarantine will be removed soon. Presently, people entering Oman also have to:
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Since June 2020, domestic tourism has started again and hotels are open. There, the new sanitary and social distancing measures are of course applied: complete and regular disinfection of the rooms and shared areas, temperature checking, mask and gloves wearing, staff training, specific measures in the kitchen, hand sanitiser available throughout the hotel, etc.
Muscat International Airport reopened in October 2020 and received an international sanitary accreditation that same month. To limit the risks of infection, the tours offered by Oman Self Drive Tours have several advantages: you travel as a couple, family or small group of friends and you drive your own car, without driver or guide. If you want to avoid large hotels, we offer many small accommodations, from rustic to very comfortable: private house, guesthouse of a few rooms or even wild camping. Moreover, with only 15 inhabitants/km² in Oman, it is easy to respect the safety distances during our nature, adventure and hiking itineraries! |
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Some statistics of the covid-19 epidemic in Oman
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Country |
Population (millions) |
Total cases per million pop. |
Total deaths per million pop. |
Active cases per million pop. |
Patients in ICU per million pop. |
Fatality rate |
Oman |
5.2 |
25 809 |
295 |
1 086 |
4 |
1.1% |
Switzerland |
8.7 |
59 980 |
1 078 |
22 361 |
30 |
1.8 |
Belgium |
11.6 |
60 920 |
1 813 |
54 904 |
27 |
3.0% |
Italy |
60.4 |
42 076 |
1 461 |
7 670 |
37 |
3.5% |
France |
65.4 |
48 623 |
1 161 |
44 033 |
48 |
2.4% |
UK |
68.1 |
55 748 |
1 550 |
29 615 |
56 |
2.8% |
Germany |
83.9 |
26 414 |
685 |
2 836 |
53 |
2.6% |
Sources : www.worldometers.info and www.coronatracker.com.
The state of the pandemic in Oman and its management by the government
At the beginning of this year 2021, the situation is very good, with the lowest figures since the start of the epidemic: less than 200 cases and only 1 death per day on average; less than 30 people in intensive care units.
Among other factors, the Omani government’s early implementation of the restrictions and the very gradual return to normal allowed to avoid a strict lockdown of the population as well as an overwhelming of the health-care system.
As already underlined on the 30th of April by journalist Quentin Müller in an OrientXXI article, "the Sultanate [of Oman] took responsible and quick decisions" to fight the new coronavirus. At the beginning of June, in another article of the same newspaper, researcher Yves Marin points out that, contrary to what could be feared from an absolute monarchy, the new sultan "bet on trust and transparency, and on a crisis management enabling Oman to show itself as a truly modern state", "capable of taking care of its people’s health".
The measures announced along the epidemic progression (closure of shops and schools, isolation of affected neighbourhoods, ban on gatherings, obligation to wear masks, curfew), were coherently implemented and completed by a prevention campaign broadcast through social media.
As elsewhere, this unfortunately did not prevent covid-19 from settling in and progressing. In Oman, the first epidemic peak was reached in late July-early August, with a daily average of 1500 detected cases in mid-July, a maximum of 23000 active cases on the 22nd of the same month and a daily average of 11 deaths in the first week of August.
In order to properly understand the figures, it is worth noting that the Omani government changed his testing policy soon after the epidemic peak (on the 25th of July), the main consequence of which was to significantly reduce the number of daily tests. This explains the end of the correlation between the graphs of the numbers of cases and deaths, the latter decreasing much more slowly.
Following the easing of some restrictions, a second peak was reached in October, with daily averages of 800 cases and again 11 deaths.
Since December 2020, the number of daily cases has been below 200 and there has been only one death per day on average.
The total number of deaths from coronavirus stays relatively low in Oman. Even if this does not explain it all, some reasons can be suggested:
Among other factors, the Omani government’s early implementation of the restrictions and the very gradual return to normal allowed to avoid a strict lockdown of the population as well as an overwhelming of the health-care system.
As already underlined on the 30th of April by journalist Quentin Müller in an OrientXXI article, "the Sultanate [of Oman] took responsible and quick decisions" to fight the new coronavirus. At the beginning of June, in another article of the same newspaper, researcher Yves Marin points out that, contrary to what could be feared from an absolute monarchy, the new sultan "bet on trust and transparency, and on a crisis management enabling Oman to show itself as a truly modern state", "capable of taking care of its people’s health".
The measures announced along the epidemic progression (closure of shops and schools, isolation of affected neighbourhoods, ban on gatherings, obligation to wear masks, curfew), were coherently implemented and completed by a prevention campaign broadcast through social media.
As elsewhere, this unfortunately did not prevent covid-19 from settling in and progressing. In Oman, the first epidemic peak was reached in late July-early August, with a daily average of 1500 detected cases in mid-July, a maximum of 23000 active cases on the 22nd of the same month and a daily average of 11 deaths in the first week of August.
In order to properly understand the figures, it is worth noting that the Omani government changed his testing policy soon after the epidemic peak (on the 25th of July), the main consequence of which was to significantly reduce the number of daily tests. This explains the end of the correlation between the graphs of the numbers of cases and deaths, the latter decreasing much more slowly.
Following the easing of some restrictions, a second peak was reached in October, with daily averages of 800 cases and again 11 deaths.
Since December 2020, the number of daily cases has been below 200 and there has been only one death per day on average.
The total number of deaths from coronavirus stays relatively low in Oman. Even if this does not explain it all, some reasons can be suggested:
- A policy of systematic testing, mandatory in case of symptoms and extended to relatives, implemented since the start of the epidemic (about a month before the number of daily cases started to rise) and until the 24th of July. This was possible partly because the epidemic started later than in Europe.
- An early lockdown, delaying the epidemic development and thus giving time to the Omani government to upgrade its logistics capacity (import and production of medical equipment).
- Wearing masks became mandatory from the beginning of the epidemic development in the country.
- High quality health care and medical facilities well distributed throughout the country.
- Covid-19 testing and treatment free of charge for the whole population - Omanis and expatriates - and in all the medical facilities - public and private (on the 25th of July, tests became payable, except in case of hospitalisation).
- An easing of the restrictions made very progressive, from reopening the first shops in June to the schools in November and to the kindergartens, parks and cinemas in December. Large mosques reopened too but small ones are still closed (since March).
- A generally young population.
The calendar of the epidemic in Oman
- 24th February: First covid-19 cases detected in Oman (travelers returning from Iran).
- 10th March: Creation of a high comity in charge of the covid-19 crisis management.
- Mid-March: Partial lockdown: closing of schools, non-vital shops, mosques and other places of worship, leisure activities, parks. Ban on gatherings. Work from home when possible. Restaurants can serve only take-aways.
- 26th March: The total number of cases crosses the 100-mark.
- Late March: Closing of the airports. Government organises the import of medical supplies.
- 31st March: First death.
- 1st April: Limitation of movements between governorates. In the capital, isolation of the Mutrah neighbourhood, the most affected one.
- Mid-April: Isolation of the capital Muscat. Start of a massive testing campaign. Increase of the production capacity of masks and other medical supplies.
- 16th April: The total number of cases crosses the 1000-mark.
- Late April: Ramadan starts. Reopening of the governorates but Muscat stays isolated.
- 9th May: Stable until then, the number of daily cases is now above 100 and starts to increase significantly.
- Late May: Obligation to wear masks in all public areas. Eid al Fitr, Ramadan ends.
- 29th May: Muscat isolation ends.
- 31st May: The daily case average is now above 500. For the first time, more than 3 deaths in a single day.
- Early June: The Minister of Health steps in and asks people to be more respectful of the barrier measures. Increase of the capacity of the intensive care units. Start of a national covid-19 survey that should last 10 weeks.
- Mid-June: Progressive reopening of the shops (the other measures of the partial lockdown started mid-March are still in effect). The daily case average is now above 1000.
- Early July: Average of 7 daily deaths.
- Mid-July: Covid-19 epidemic peak in Oman: average of 1500 daily cases on 15/07; maximum of 23000 active cases on 22/07. Average of 9 daily deaths.
- 21st July: The government sets the price of PCR tests. They will stop being free of charge, except in case of hospitalisation, on the 25th of July. People presenting symptoms but not in need of hospitalisation will nevertheless be counted as positive.
- 25th July: Start of a 7-pm-to-6-am curfew and a closure of the governorates for 2 weeks. Objective: accelerate the decline of the epidemic and limit the gatherings during the Eid al Adha holidays.
- 26th July: Beginning of a sharp decline of the number of daily cases (intensified by the testing policy change).
- 30th July: Eid al Adha. Start of holidays ending on the 8th of August.
- 31st July-4th August: Covid case data unavailable.
- Early August: Average of 11 daily deaths (peak).
- 8th August: Reopening of the governorates. Reduction of the curfew time (9 pm to 5 am).
- 2nd week of August: Average of 8 daily deaths. The daily cases drop below 300.
- 13th August: Announcement of the reopening of the schools for the 1st of November (instead of at the end of August).
- 15th August: End of the curfew.
- 17th August: Reopening of the souqs. In the hotels, reopening of the swimming pools and the dining rooms (meals had been served in the guest rooms since mid-March). "Tourist" restaurants can also serve on site again.
- 21st August: Covid statistics for weekend days are now announced as a whole on the first day of the week.
- 25th August: All the restaurants can serve on site again but are still prohibited to people less than 12 years old or more than 60. Reopening of the last businesses still closed (hair dressers, beauty salons, etc).
- Late August: Average of 6 daily deaths. The daily cases drop below 200.
- Early September: Average of 7 daily deaths. The daily cases rise back above 200. First rise of the covid numbers since the peak of late July/early August.
- 17th September: The 2nd phase of the serological survey started in June shows that 6% of the population was in contact with the virus.
- Late September: Average of 10 daily deaths. The daily cases come close to 600. For the first time, the number of patients in intensive care units rise above 200.
- 1st October: Reopening of Omani airports. Flights are limited to 2 per week per destination and per company. Only residents and people traveling for business can enter Oman.
- 5th October: Opening of a new 300-bed hospital in the buildings of the old Muscat International Airport. Fully dedicated to coronavirus treatment, it will relieve the hospitals of the country, which will be able to focus on the other patients.
- 8th October: 2nd epidemic peak of covid-19 in Oman: average of 800 daily cases; average of 11 daily deaths (as many as during the 1st peak of early August); 220 patients in ICU (highest number since the start of the epidemic).
- 11th October: Start of a 8-pm-to-5-am curfew that should last until the 24th of October.
- 18th October: Airports Council International awards a sanitary accreditation to Muscat International Airport, first airport in the Middle East to receive such a certification.
- 25th October: End of the curfew started on the 11th of October.
- Late October: The daily cases drop below 400 and the patients in ICU below 200. The deaths stay high with a daily average of 10-11.
- 1st November: Reopening of the schools with blended learning (partly face-to-face, partly online). In the schools, the prevention measures include a reduced number of students per class, teachers and older students wearing masks, temperature checks, etc.
- Early November: The number of patients in ICU drops below 150.
- 8th November: Beginning of the 4th and last phase of the national serological survey started in June. The 3rd phase shows that 15% of the population was in contact with the virus (compared to 6% in mid-September).
- 12th November: The Minister of Health declares that, thanks to the orders already made, 40% of the population (almost 2 million people) will be vaccinated in a first vaccination phase. It will start at the green light of the international health authorities (the European Medicines Agency and the American Food and Drug Administration) and last for a year. Persons at risk will have priority and the vaccine will be free for them (medical workers, people with chronic diseases, the elderly).
- 15th November: Reopening of the large mosques (of more than 400 spaces). Opening duration of maximum 25 minutes at each of the 5 daily prayers. Worshippers should bring their own praying carpet, keep their masks, disinfect their hands before entering and be at least 1.5 m apart. People less than 12 years old or more than 65 cannot enter. To avoid crowding, the smaller mosques are still closed and no mosque can open for the Friday noon prayer (which is normally performed by a lot of worshippers).
- 16th November: Reopening of the land border between Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
- Late November: The average cases drop to 200 and the deaths to 5 per day.
- 30th November: Announcement of the imminent resumption of tourist visas issuing.
- 1st December: Reopening of the kindergartens, cinemas (to 50% of their capacity), parks, beaches, tourist sites (museums, forts, etc). After the March 2020 general closure, almost all the country activities are now operating again (with new sanitary norms).
- 2nd December: No death due to covid-19 for the first time in 8 months. The Minister of Health declares that the first vaccines should be delivered by Pfizer this month. He adds that the vaccination will not be mandatory in Oman.
- 9th December: When Oman will reopen to them, citizens of 103 countries, including 41 European countries, will be exempted from tourist visa for stays of up to 10 days.
- 10th December: It is no longer necessary to perform a PCR test before flying to Oman (but some airlines may request it). However, it is still mandatory at land borders (test made maximum 72 hours before entry).
- 11th December: Tourists can travel to Oman again. Before coming in the country, they must have an international health insurance covering covid-19 for a minimum of one month as well as a hotel reservation. If they stay in Oman for less than 8 days, no quarantine will be required but they will have to isolate themselves in their hotel while waiting for the result of the PCR test made upon arrival at the airport.
- Mid-December: The average cases stay at 200 and the deaths drop under 5 per day (lowest number since the end of June).
- 14th December: Beginning of a survey about covid-19 vaccination. The aim is to know the attitude of Omanis and expatriates towards the vaccines and to evaluate their knowledge in order to fight misinformation.
- 15th December: The import of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is approved by the Omani Ministry of Health.
- 22nd December: Following the discovery of a more contagious virus strain in England, Oman closes its borders for a week, to have time to assess the situation.
- Late December: The daily cases drop under 200 and the patients in ICU under 40. The deaths drop to 1 per day on average.
- 26th December: Reopening of the churches and the temples, with the same sanitary conditions as those followed by the large mosques, reopened since the 15th of November.
- 27th December: Beginning of the first vaccination phase with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The Omani Minister of Health was the first to receive the injection. With the first batch of the vaccine, 7500 people will be vaccinated among the target groups (front-line medical workers, people more than 65 years old suffering from some chronic diseases).
- 29th December: Reopening of the Omani borders (following the 22nd December closure). To prevent the “English” virus strain from spreading in Oman, the 7-day quarantine upon arrival is now mandatory for everyone (as well as the PCR tests before and after the flight). Non-residents must therefore isolate themselves at their hotel, which should be booked in advance.
- 3rd January 2021: More than 7000 people already received the first dose of the vaccine in Oman.
- 9th January: 15000 people received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (54% of the target group).
- 14th January: 23000 people received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (82% of the target group).
- 17th January: The second dose of the vaccine starts to be administered.
- 18th January: Following the epidemic rebound observed in the neighbouring United Arab Emirates, Oman closes its land borders.
- 19th January: The citizens of 103 countries, including 41 European countries, are now exempted from tourist visa for stays of up to 14 days (instead of 10 days).
- 25th January: 27000 people received the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (99% of the target group) and 8000 the second dose.
- 28th January: To prevent a new epidemic wave as observed in the neighbouring countries, the government forbids all cultural events.
- 30th January: As part of the gifts made by India to its friend countries, Oman receives 100’000 Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine doses produced by the Serum Institute of India, one of the largest vaccine factory in the world.
