In its ongoing efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 and prevent fraud, the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) has signed an agreement with eMushrif to create an electronic platform called ‘Sahala’. 

The platform aims to achieve the highest level of safety, limit the spread of infection and verify information of travellers to prevent fraud. It also aims to assist travellers coming to the  sultanate with institutional quarantine procedures and provide the necessary public safety guidelines. 

H E Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmed al Shamsi, Undersecretary in MoSD and head of the Relief and Shelter Sector, informed that the platform will be launched soon.  

“It will facilitate the choice of hotels for travellers arriving in the sultanate through airports. The Relief and Shelter Sector is working to develop a system compatible with modern technology.” 

According to Adnan al Shuaili, co-founder and CEO of eMushrif, the Sahala platform was developed entirely by Omanis and eMushrif. “Travellers to the sultanate will get all the information they need about places available for institutional isolation. The platform will also facilitate follow up after isolation, and provide data and reports on travellers to the Relief and Shelter Sector.” 

Besides information on the approved isolation centres, the platform will give travellers access to the instructions issued by the Ministry of Health, and procedures in the registration process for hotel reservations. 

Speaking to Muscat Daily, Hamoud bin Mohammed al Mundhiri, from the Relief and Shelter Sector, said, “Every traveller wears a bracelet and the platform helps track him throughout the quarantine period.” 

He added that starting from February 15 to March 8, a total of 15,863 individuals registered for institutional quarantine in 461 approved centres. Of these, 12,063 are still in quarantine.