Newspapers Hail Qatar's Success in Confronting COVID-19 Pandemic

Doha, March 10 (QNA) - In their editorials on Thursday, Qatari newspapers said that the Cabinet's decisions, which were approved in its regular meeting held yesterday chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, on amending some COVID-19 restrictions affirmed that the State of Qatar's successful control of the pandemic in preparation for the return to pre-pandemic life. The newspapers pointed out that thanks to the concerted efforts and the commitment of all to preventive measures, life will soon return to normal, as Qatar is moving forward towards lifting restrictions, stressing that there is no room for complacency and everyone must show a spirit of responsibility. In its editorial, Al-Raya said that the State of Qatar was able to control the situation, as the number of daily infections decreased, noting that the new measures mean the return of normal life is approaching, while maintaining some precautionary measures. The measures approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday include the lifting of restrictions imposed on the carrying capacity and the permitted number of means of transportation and open and closed public and private places affirmed the country's success in controlling the pandemic thanks to the precautionary measures taken by the government, the paper said. Al-Raya underlined that the new decisions give hope that the end of the pandemic is approaching, as Qatar has been able to vaccinate more than 88 percent of the population with both doses, with the expansion in providing the booster dose. Since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, the State of Qatar immediately began to take many successful precautionary measures that had a great impact in keeping matters under control, and has managed to overcome the peak stage and flatten the curve, while maintaining one of the world's lowest death rates, the paper added. In conclusion, Al-Raya stressed that maintaining a balance between public health and the return of normal life is a necessity, as confirmed by the Cabinet's decisions yesterday. For its part, Al-Arab newspaper said in its Thursday editorial that the State of Qatar continues its studied strategy to confront the COVID-19 outbreak in proportion to the evolution of the pandemic curve and to preserve the public health of society. The paper referred to the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, during which decisions were made regarding the gradual easing of restrictions in light of the remarkable cooperation and commitment of citizens and residents to implement precautionary measures. The new decisions include: the lifting of restrictions imposed on the carrying capacity and the permitted number of means of transportation and open and closed public and private places, entry to closed public places for all citizens, residents, and visitors who have completed doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, those recovering from the disease, and people whose health condition prevents them from taking the vaccine, based on a medical report from the authorities determined by the Ministry of Public Health, as well as citizens, residents and visitors who did not complete or did not receive doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at a rate not exceeding 20 percent of the capacity after conducting a rapid antigen test approved by the Ministry of Public Health, Al-Arab pointed out. Al-Arab indicated that the new decisions would relieve the population to gradually restore the atmosphere of normal life by following the disciplined steps without haste in order to avoid any mistakes that might lose the progress made in combating the pandemic. The newspaper stressed the need to adhere to the health requirements, procedures, precautionary measures and controls determined by the Ministry of Public Health, stressing the importance of continued cooperation of various groups of society and their commitment to implementing the controls of the phases of confronting the virus to achieve safety for all. Concluding, Al-Arab said that the stage the whole world is going through is still difficult, despite some countries lifting pandemic restrictions, daily COVID-19 infections have not stopped, and therefore the phased and gradual approach adopted by the authorities to deal with the pandemic would lead us to safety and allow the country to achieve a new victory by overcoming the global pandemic. For its part, Al-Watan newspaper opened its Thursday editorial by saying that the Cabinet decided in its regular meeting held Wednesday, chaired by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, to amend the restrictions imposed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, including lifting the restrictions imposed on the carrying capacity and the permitted number of means of transportation and open and closed public and private places, and allowing entry to closed public places, such as physical training clubs, weddings, sports events, conferences, exhibitions, restaurants, and others, according to specific controls. In this regard, the newspaper pointed out that the new decisions coincided with the noticeable decline in the number of daily infections, which reached 130 yesterday, confirming the effectiveness of the preventive effects of the COVID-19 vaccines, as most of the patients whose cases require admission to the intensive care units were unvaccinated individuals, or individuals who received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine more than 6 months ago and did not receive the booster dose. The State of Qatar has passed the height of the third wave of the pandemic thanks to the support provided by society by adhering to governmental precautionary restrictions and special precautionary measures, in addition to high vaccination rates, which were a decisive factor that helped reach this stage and stabilize the numbers of new daily infections, Al-Watan said. Concluding its editorial, Al-Watan stressed not being complacent in any way, as everyone is supposed to be careful and continue to adhere to restrictions and precautionary measures, take preventive measures, and receive the booster dose, while making sure to wear masks and maintain social distancing to ensure that infections are reduced and completely zeroed. For its part, the English-language newspaper The Peninsula highlighted in its editorial Thursday the Cabinet's decisions adopted at Wednesday's regular meeting, which eased the country's restrictions and precautionary measures imposed in the country to address COVID-19 after a significant drop in the number of new cases in recent months. The government removed the restrictions on carrying capacity in the public and private transport, as well as at all public and private places, both indoors and outdoors. However, people not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be required to undergo a rapid antigen test not older than 24 hours to be able to enter indoor public places such as gyms, weddings, sports events, conferences and exhibitions, restaurant and cafes, amusement parks and swimming pools, and theatres and cinemas, the paper said. The newspaper added that masks also remain compulsory at all indoor public places and at organized public events outdoors. Keeping the Ehteraz app active on smartphones is also compulsory at public places, with the continuation to obligate all citizens, residents and visitors to activate the EHTERAZ application on smartphones when leaving the house for any reason, the paper underlined. The Peninsula indicated that due to effective and timely measures taken by the government, the new daily cases have been significantly reduced in recent weeks, noting that the relaxation of restrictions comes amid a faster rollout of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots. So far, the country has administered over 6.4 million vaccine doses, including over 1.3 million booster shots. The Peninsula concluded its editorial by stressing the importance of continuing to follow the precautionary measures, as the virus still poses a threat to health. (QNA)