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Over 2,400 people still in 22 quarantine centres

12 Apr 2020 By MOHAMMED TAHA

Over 2,400 people are still in institutional quarantine centres, while over 5,200 volunteers are providing relief in the country to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The Ministry of Health (MoH), in cooperation with the private sector, has allocated 22 centres for institutional quarantine.  

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Hamoud bin Mohammed al Mundhiri, official spokesman for the relief and shelter sector, said, “We registered over 2,400 people in institutional quarantine centres in various shelters across different governorates. This number is gradually decreasing because with quarantine period ending for people. On Saturday, 387 were discharged and 250 people were discharged on Sunday. We have about 2,400 people in institutional quarantine centres and we have to provide quarantine centres for some students coming from abroad.” 

Mundhiri said that institutional quarantine centres are expected to witness a decrease with the number of isolated persons decreasing by the end of the stipulated isolation period of 14 days.  

Talking about volunteer work, he said, “We have around 5,200 volunteers, including 389 medical professionals. The relief and shelter sector has formed a number of work teams in cooperation with a number of charitable teams and volunteers, from nurses and doctors, who follow up and provide all necessary isolation tools and provide all necessary instructions and advice for isolated persons. We provide them meals and communication  facilities and Internet in cooperation with Omantel and Ooredoo.” 

The relief and shelter teams are continuously working to receive the returnees from abroad, he said.  

“They are received and screened to make sure in principle that they are free of any symptoms from the virus. We thank Mwasalat for providing support and assistance to provide transportation from the airport to the institutional isolation centres. 

The sector has also activated hotline numbers to receive any enquiries on the operating room number of the main control centre in Muscat which is 24994267.” Meanwhile, the Ministry of Social Development has allotted psychologists to provide social support to those isolated in institutional quarantine centres. 

The numbers are: 24994200, 24994201, 24994202, 24994203, 24994204, 24994205, 24994206 and 24994207. The ministry has also allocated a number for English speaking people which is 24994207. 

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