[UPDATED] 20 January 2021: 7:45 pm

Further to the recently announced update that's effective starting 24 January 2021 to departure and arrival procedures, and exemptions from hotel quarantine, the Ministry of Public Health states that quarantine exemption based on age and health conditions is not applicable to arrivals from the UK, South Africa, the Netherlands and Denmark, as previously announced by the MoPH.

19 January 2021; 9:06 pm

The Ministry of Public Health announced Tuesday an update to the list of groups eligible for home quarantine, to become effective starting Sunday, 24 January 2021, at all ports of entry to the country, based on the previously announced policies for travel and return from abroad to Qatar and in light of the recent medical developments concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the Ministry's statement, the following categories will be exempted from the hotel quarantine requirement and will be allowed to home quarantine. This applies to Qatari citizens and residents, their family members, and their travelling party who share the same national address, regardless of the country they are departing from.

1. People aged 65 years or above.
2. People who have undergone organ or bone marrow transplantation.
3. Patients with health conditions that require immunosuppressive therapies.
4. Patients with heart failure or coronary artery disease.
5. Patients with asthma (moderate and severe asthma).
6. Cancer patients, including patients who undergo treatment sessions (chemotherapy and radiation therapy).
7. Pregnant women.
8. Breastfeeding mothers who are caring for children aged from 0 to 5 years.
9. Patients with acute kidney failure (end-stage renal failure) or those who undergo dialysis treatment.
10. Patients with chronic liver disease.
11. Patients who have had lower limb amputations.
12. People with disabilities who are dependent on other people to carry out their daily activities.
13. Children with disabilities and their mothers.
14. Patients with epilepsy who receive epilepsy treatment.
15. Patients with diabetic foot disease.
16. People who have a first-degree relative who passed away within the past 10 days.
17. People with mental health problems who are treated with medication, and whose health condition may deteriorate if they are kept in enclosed spaces.
18. Diabetics who suffer from neuropathy, kidney or retinal diseases or other types of diabetes complications.
19. Minors (aged below 18 years) who travel without their parents/guardians (not accompanied by an adult).

However, hotel quarantine will be mandatory for those who return from abroad alone without their exempted relatives who were with them when they travelled from Qatar. Therefore, they are advised to ensure necessary hotel reservations are made prior to their return to the country.

The exemption from hotel quarantine does not include visitors coming to the country. The decision can be suspended in cases that require the implementation of the hotel quarantine policy, such as inappropriate housing conditions. It can also be suspended by a decision issued by the Ministry of Public Health to control the spread of COVID-19 infections in the country.

Furthermore, travellers with chronic health conditions must register themselves for the MyHealth patient portal online to obtain a medical report and a COVID-19 test result from an approved health centre within 72 hours prior to departure, or apply for a chronic condition certificate online through Hamad Medical Corporation or Primary Health Care Corporation websites.

The above list will be reviewed and updated regularly based on developments.

Source: QNA

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Nabeela

Content Writer

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