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Covid-19 in Oman
Last update: 01/03/2022
Travelling to Oman is possible… and easy!
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Oman is open! Since the reopening of the country in September 2021, it has never been so easy to visit the Sultanate: vaccinated people no longer need a PCR test nor an online registration.
Indeed, regarding the covid-19, the entry conditions for people aged 18 and older are now the following:
* 2 doses are necessary, even for people who were infected before the vaccination. ** Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca, AstraZeneca-Covishield, Johnson & Johnson (only 1 dose is necessary), Sinovac, Sinopharm, Sputnik V, Covaxin. |
Depending on your country of origin, you may have to present a PCR test result to fly back home. Note that it is very easy to be tested in Oman and especially in the capital Muscat. This is done in private hospitals, without appointment. To this day, it costs around 30 €/35 USD for a result within 24 hours (or 45€/50 USD for a result within 8 hours).
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Once in Oman, tourists must obviously follow the applicable rules, especially wearing a face mask in closed spaces.
Omani hotels apply since June 2020 the new sanitary and social distancing measures: 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 for residents 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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The state of the covid-19 pandemic in Oman
Life went back to normal, without specific restrictions other than wearing face masks in closed spaces.
The Omicron strain wave, which peaked in early February, is subsiding. It had had little impact on the Omani society (especially if compared to the Delta strain wave).
The vaccination campaign is very well underway: nearly 70% of the population has received two doses and the third dose campaign has begun (sources: Oman Observer and National Centre for Statistics & Information).
The Omicron strain wave, which peaked in early February, is subsiding. It had had little impact on the Omani society (especially if compared to the Delta strain wave).
The vaccination campaign is very well underway: nearly 70% of the population has received two doses and the third dose campaign has begun (sources: Oman Observer and National Centre for Statistics & Information).
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Overall, Oman managed rather well the coronavirus epidemic crisis, with to this day 900 deaths per million people, compared with 1400 to 2500 in UK, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland or France (source: www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/).
Among other factors, the quality of the health-care system, 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 and the overwhelming of the health-care system during the three first waves. The Delta strain then arrived in the country, at a time when the vaccination rate was still low. This led to the fourth wave of June-July 2021, by far the most virulent one, which caused for the first time the saturation of the hospitals.
Among other factors, the quality of the health-care system, 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 and the overwhelming of the health-care system during the three first waves. The Delta strain then arrived in the country, at a time when the vaccination rate was still low. This led to the fourth wave of June-July 2021, by far the most virulent one, which caused for the first time the saturation of the hospitals.
