The ministry released new travel updates as efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 continues.
Qatar’s red travel list has been expanded to include more countries, the Ministry of Public Health confirmed on Monday noting the update was based on the level of Covid-19 risk in each country.
Some 14 countries have now been added to the red list, bumping the total number of nations on the list to 167.
Red listed countries include but are not limited to Egypt, Morocco, Comoros, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Lebanon, Tunisia.
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The move means a decrease in the number of countries on the green list, which now holds just 11 countries, down from 11. Among these are Australia, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, New Zealand, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The yellow list contains 27 states compared to 33 prior to the update, including Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Brunei Darussalam, China, Chile, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Luxembourg, Kuwait, Mozambique, Macau, Norway, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovenia, Singapore, South Korea, Uganda and the UAE.
Travel rules
Unvaccinated travellers from green listed countries or those who have received unapproved vaccines in Qatar, or who have received the second dose in a period less than 14 days, will be subjected to a home quarantine for five days. This group is expected to undergo a PCR test at a primary health care centre on the fourth day. The passenger shall be cleared on the fifth day if the test is negative.
However, arrivals from yellow-listed countries “shall undergo a hotel quarantine for seven days with PCR test – at the expense of the passenger – being conducted at the hotel on the sixth day. The passenger shall be cleared on the seventh day if the test is negative.
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Travellers from red-listed countries will be required to “hotel quarantine for 10 with a PCR test on arrival at the hotel and on the ninth day – at the passenger’s expense. “They shall be cleared on the tenth day if the test is negative.”
‘Special Risk 6-Country Zone’
The ministry has classified countries in green, yellow, and red lists based on the level of risk and spread of Covid-19 in each country.
Besides these three lists, six Asian nations – Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka – have been categorised as ‘Special Risk 6-Country Zone’.
Travellers coming from countries under the ‘Special Risk 6-Country Zone’ list who are fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 are subjected to two-day hotel quarantine and are allowed to leave the hotel on the second day if the result of the PCR test is negative.
Those who are not vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19 are required to hotel quarantine for 10 days.
