New strict containment is due to come into force on Friday in Qatar, with a ban on outdoor activities except for essential errands and going to work, in order to stem the rise in contamination and deaths from the coronavirus, authorities said on Wednesday. .
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"We are still in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and we have not yet reached the peak of contaminations,"
said Abdellatif al-Khal, president of the National Health Strategy Group, during a broadcast speech by public television.
The duration of application of these reinforced measures has not been specified.
Restaurants, cafes, hair salons, beauty institutes, museums, libraries and cinemas will have to keep doors closed from Friday, according to an official document released by state media.
Restaurants may nevertheless make deliveries.
Mosques will be open by slots for the five prayers of the day but authorities have ordered that additional prayers during the month of Ramadan which begins in mid-April be performed at home.
Private and public companies will have to limit their workforce to 50% of the usual capacity and visits between people from different homes remain prohibited, according to the official QNA agency.
"Most of the new cases are linked to visits between relatives,"
noted Abdellatif al-Khal.
Qatar has identified 186,201 cases of contamination, including 320 deaths which for 9% of them occurred in the past week.
On Wednesday alone, eight deaths were reported, the highest daily figure since the start of the pandemic.
Authorities blame the British variant of the coronavirus, which is more easily transmitted.
Qatar has already administered 987,673 doses of vaccine.
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