Latest updates on hotel quarantine exemptions in Qatar

Hotel Quarantine

MoPH updates on hotel quarantine exemptions

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced on Thursday the recent updates on the policies related to coronavirus (COVID-19) recent developments. 

Firstly, an updated list of the groups that are exempt from hotel quarantine and can instead quarantine at home upon arrival (effective January 24, 2021). This applies to returning residents, not visitors, and “Qatari citizens and residents, their family members, and their traveling 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).

Secondly, “travelers 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 center within 72 hours prior departure, or apply for a chronic condition certificate online through Hamad Medical Corporation or Primary Health Care Corporation websites,” 

However, there is still yet to be an official statement addressing the case of incoming flow who have already taken the two doses of the COVID 19 vaccine, and whether they will need to quarantine or upon arrival or not. “this is the ultimate goal of vaccination and one of the benefits of vaccination will be that a person would be able to travel and return without quarantine” explained Yousef Al-Maslamani, Director of Hamad General Hospital.