MoCIIP stops requests for expos

The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion has stopped receiving requests for activities like sales promotions and exhibitions. According to a statement issued by the ministry on Sunday, promotional activities that will attract multitudes of people will not be allowed as part of the Supreme Committee’s decision. “The suspension is based on the Supreme Committee’s decision to ban events and activities such as exhibitions that result in mass gatherings”, said the statement. The Ministry also said it still continued to receive requests for promotional offers and discounts. “The Ministry would like to clarify that it continues to receive requests for promotional offers and discounts, noting that the requests that have been stopped are applications for holding exhibitions and conferences,” the statement said. Last week, the Supreme Committee tackling the developments from the Covid-19 situation prohibited all group events like conferences, exhibitions and marriages. It also postponed students’ return to universities and advised citizens and residents against foreign travel, as part of its efforts to further restrict the spread of the virus. Hamoud al Wahaibi, a retired ministry of health official in Ruwi, said, “Most people still do not know the fact that the coronavirus infection spreads through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes. I don’t think people are quite fearful now. They mingle very freely at all shops without any hesitation”, he said, adding, “patrols by the cops must be stepped up to prevent people from crowding”.