Market area in Salalah locked down till July 7

SALALAH: The market area in Salalah, which was put under isolation on Saturday, over COVID-19 scare would remain under lockdown for another 17 days. The Royal Oman Police on Sunday confirmed that the commercial market area in the Central Salalah area has been kept under isolation and it will remain so till July 7. The market was sealed on Saturday in the wake of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Salalah. “The Royal Oman Police would like to draw the attention of all residents in the Wilayat of Salalah that the commercial market area located in central Salalah is under public health isolation as of Saturday morning until July 7. Your cooperation will serve the public interest,” the ROP statement said. The latest COVID-19 bulletin of the Ministry of Health, however, is a big relief for the city, as it reported only one new case on Sunday, making the total number of positive cases in Salalah to 297, whereas the total number of cases in Dhofar stands at 327. Out of 297 positive cases, 49 have recovered. Two deaths due to COVID-19 have been reported in Salalah. Salalah had only 28 positive cases till the end of May. There was a sudden one day spike of 81 cases on June 14, which brought the total to 153. Adherence to COVID-19 protocol in public places is quite decent as most of the people are seen using face masks. In most of the shopping areas, people are allowed to enter only after temperature screening, face mask, and hand gloves. It is mandatory for all the ground duty staff to follow the guidelines issued by the relevant authorities.