National carrier Qatar Airways has issued a travel alert in view of various global health warnings and the circular issued by Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health pertaining to the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus).
In relation to passengers from China, Iran, South Korea and Italy, the national airline said only those with onward connections through Hamad International Airport are accepted for travel.
Qatari nationals are exempted from the above-mentioned decision, however, they will be asked to stay in a quarantine facility for 14 days as per the World Health Organisation’s measures.
All passengers arriving from Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore will be screened and those displaying disease symptoms will be taken for further testing, it said on Wednesday.
Passengers returning positive test results will be admitted to treatment centres as per the measures of the Ministry of Public Health.
In line with the circular from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) concerning preventing the spread of Coronavirus, Qatar Airways is prohibited from carrying all passengers from Egypt via any intermediate point(s), including those who are in possession of a Qatar Residency Permit.
Again, Qatari nationals are exempted from the above-mentioned decision, however, they will be asked to stay in a quarantine facility for 14 days as per the World Health Organisation’s measures.
Qatar Airways said, “The safety, security and good health of our passengers and employees is our highest priority. Qatar Airways is working closely with global and national authorities to understand the latest advice and guidance on COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and operate our services accordingly.
“Like all airlines around the world, we have to balance the needs of our millions of passengers with the operational challenges we face due to entry restrictions imposed by a number of countries.”
Service Alterations: To this end, Qatar Airways said it has “amended or cancelled” some of its services to “reflect” these issues.
“Please make sure your contact details are up to date on our ‘Manage Booking’ page, so we can let you know directly if your flight is affected. We encourage all passengers to see real-time flight status for the latest information,” Qatar Airways said.
