Coronavirus: Qatar Cases Surpass 30,000 with 1,547 New Cases

On Saturday, Qatar reported 1547 new coronavirus cases, bringing the total confirmed cases to 30,972, according to the state's health ministry.

Meanwhile, an additional 242 people have recovered in the country, raising the total number of recoveries to 3,788.

A 74-year-old resident who had been receiving medical care in the Intensive Care Unit is the latest coronavirus fatality in Qatar.

Qatar has made wearing a face mask compulsory for everyone who steps outside their home, with violators facing jail time and fines of up to $55,000, according to AFP. The decision announced on Wednesday is effective until further notice.

It added that most of the reported cases are of migrant workers who have different occupations and contracted the virus after coming into contact with previously infected inpiduals.

“Several other cases of migrant workers outside the industrial area was also recorded,” the ministry added.

It noted that the remainder of the cases are of citizens and residents who contracted the virus from their family members were infected.

Qatar has ramped up its efforts to test people, especially migrant workers living in crowded areas, to contain the outbreak.

The ministry has tested 91,415 people so far, out of which 2,808 were tested in the last 24 hours.

Qatar’s cabinet announced last week a few measures to be implemented during Ramadan amid the coronavirus.

The official working hours during Ramadan will be as follows: For the government sector, four hours, from 9 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and for the private sector, six hours, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Significant rise of coronavirus cases continues

Qatar has experienced a rise of around 1,100 new daily cases for several days in a row.

On Sunday, 1,189 new cases were recorded, similar to the 1,130 and 1,311 the two previous days, which pushed the total over 20,000.

The announcement comes on the same day the United Arab Emirates reported a spike of over 700 new cases, compared to around the recent normal of around 500 new daily cases.

The increase in cases may be linked to the easing of restrictions in several Arabian Gulf countries due to Ramadan.

In Saudi Arabia, authorities reported 1,704 new cases as they eased restrictions in the city of Medina on Saturday.

Several Arab countries have tightened restrictions on movement and travel, with the aim of curbing the spread of the coronavirus, and some have pledged billions of dollars in economic stimulus programs to reduce the economic repercussions of the crisis.

More cases of the virus, which causes respiratory disease COVID-19, continue to emerge, with outbreaks in South Korea, Italy, and Iran.

People across the globe partake in self-isolation for 14 days as an effective precautionary measure to protect those around them and themselves from contracting COVID-19.

Transmission of the virus between humans happens when someone comes into contact with an infected person’s secretions, such as droplets in a cough.

It can also be transmitted by coming into contact with something an infected person has touched and then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes.

How to protect yourself from coronavirus: 

-Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty as washing hands with soap and water eliminates the virus if it is on the hands.

-When coughing and sneezing, cover mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue – discard tissue immediately into a closed bin and clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water to prevent the spread of germs and viruses. If you sneeze or cough into your hands, you can pass the virus to other people that you have contact with.

-Eating fruits and vegetables that contain Vitamin C so that your immune system could be enhanced for better and be able to confront viruses.

-Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth as hands touch many surfaces, which can be contaminated with the virus. If you touch your eyes, nose or mouth with your contaminated hands, the virus from the surface may infect you.

keep surrounding surfaces clean and free of coronavirus

Accordingly, you need to keep surrounding surfaces clean and free of viruses.

Make sure to keep all surrounding surfaces clean, even those that don’t usually cross minds like: keyboards, phone receivers, doorknobs, light switches, and remote controls.