* New quarantine rules for travellers coming from seven countries on Exceptional Red List come into effect at 6pm Wednesday

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has announced an updated Covid-19 travel and return policy, which includes revised quarantine rules for people travelling from seven countries on the Exceptional Red List - Botswana, Egypt, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
The updated policy comes into effect at 6pm Wednesday.
The Exceptional Red List has a total of 16 countries, including the seven mentioned above.
Under the revised policy, fully vaccinated Qatar residents coming from any of these seven countries will be subject to quarantine for seven days upon arrival in Qatar - hotel quarantine for two days and home quarantine for five days. Unvaccinated travellers in this category will be subject to hotel quarantine for seven days upon arrival in Qatar.
Fully vaccinated as well as unvaccinated Qatari citizens travelling from any of these countries will be subject to home quarantine for seven days upon arrival in the country, with the option to choose to undergo hotel quarantine if desired.
For other GCC citizens, both fully vaccinated and unvaccinated, the rule says such travellers will be subject to hotel quarantine for seven days upon arrival in Qatar.
For visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas, the rule says fully vaccinated travellers will be subject to hotel quarantine for seven days upon arrival in Qatar. Entry is not allowed for unvaccinated travellers.
The quarantine rules for the nine other countries on the Exceptional Red List - Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Sudan and Sudan - have also been explained.
Fully vaccinated Qatar residents and GCC citizens coming from any of these countries will be subject to hotel quarantine for two days upon arrival in Qatar. Unvaccinated travellers will have to undergo hotel quarantine for seven days upon arrival.
Fully vaccinated Qatari citizens coming from these countries will be subject to a home quarantine for two days upon arrival in the country, while unvaccinated travellers will have to undergo home quarantine for seven days upon arrival.
Regarding visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas, and coming from these nine Exceptional Red List countries, the rule says fully vaccinated travellers will be subject to hotel quarantine for two days upon arrival in Qatar. Entry is not allowed for unvaccinated travellers.
For visitors coming from any of the 177 countries on the Green List, the ministry has divided such visitors in two categories: the first comprises citizens and residents of Qatar, as well as citizens of GCC member states. The second category is visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas, Qatar News Agency reports.
For citizens and residents of Qatar, the quarantine policy for travellers who are fully vaccinated, within or outside Qatar, with a vaccine approved by the MoPH, who have taken a conditionally approved vaccine, or who have recovered from Covid-19 in Qatar with 14 days having passed from the date of recovery, will be exempt from quarantine if they meet two conditions: being 12 years old or above, or if they are children aged 11 years and below accompanied by one or both of their parents/family members who are fully vaccinated.
As for citizens and residents of Qatar who are not fully vaccinated or are ineligible for the vaccine, they must undergo home quarantine for seven days upon arrival in the country.
GCC citizens will be exempted from having to quarantine if fully vaccinated, within or outside Qatar, with a vaccine approved by the MoPH, or who have taken a conditionally approved vaccine, or who have recovered from Covid-19 within a GCC country and 14 days have passed from the date of recovery, provided that one dose of a MoPH-approved vaccine has been given. This applies if they are 12 years old and above, or are 11 years old and below but are accompanied by one or both of their parents/family members who are fully vaccinated.
For GCC citizens who are not fully vaccinated or ineligible for the vaccine or who have not completed the required vaccine doses, they have to undergo hotel quarantine for seven days upon arrival in the country. GCC citizens (non-residents) coming to stay with first-degree relatives residing in Qatar, provided they can show a proof of the relationship and national address data, can quarantine at home upon arrival instead of quarantining at a hotel.
Visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas coming from countries on the Green List will be exempt from quarantine requirements if they are fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the MoPH or have received one of the conditionally approved vaccines, are 12 years old and older, or are 11 years old and lower but are accompanied by one or both of their parents/family members who are fully vaccinated.
Visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas coming from countries on the Green List who are not vaccinated or who have not completed the required vaccine doses, have to quarantine at a hotel for seven days upon arrival in the country. Travellers with pre-issued family visas to visit one of their first-degree relatives residing in Qatar, provided they have proof of the relationship and national address data can quarantine the seven days at home.
Travellers coming from a country that is on the Red List have been placed in two different groups; the first includes citizens and residents of Qatar as well as citizens of GCC member states, while the second group comprises visitors to Qatar with pre-approved and on-arrival visas. The Red List has a total of 19 countries.
Citizens and residents of Qatar who are fully vaccinated within or outside Qatar with a vaccine approved by the MoPH, or who have taken a conditionally approved vaccine, or who have recovered from Covid-19 in Qatar and 14 days have passed from the date of recovery, are exempt from quarantine if they are 12 years old and above, or are 11 years old and below but accompanied by one or both of their parents/family members who are fully vaccinated.
Travelers who are not fully vaccinated or ineligible for the vaccine or who have not completed the required vaccine doses have to quarantine at home for seven days upon arrival in the country.
 
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