#BREAKING: Shopping malls and 55 more commercial activities to reopen in Oman Wednesday
Merge 104.8 | 23 June 2020
Oman’s Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources (MRMWR) has announced 56 new commercial activities allowed to re-open from Wednesday [June 24] upon directives of the Supreme Committee for COVID-19.
In a statement issued today [Tuesday, June 23], the Supreme Committee, in cooperation with the public and private sector, announced a decision to re-open a new batch of commercial and industrial businesses in the Sultanate starting from tomorrow [Wednesday, June 24].
As per further details issued by the MRMWR, 56 new commercial activities have been added to the list of those allowed to operate, and include:
Shopping malls and commercial complexes (Children under the age of 12 and adults over the age of 60 will not be allowed to visit malls).
The following fish markets: Muttrah, Sohar, Al-Suwaiq, Al-Seib, Qurayyat, Al-Ashkhara and Ibri
Fabrics and textiles stores
Shops selling dyes and polishing materials
Shops selling and repairing conventional weapons
Manpower recruitment offices
Cameras and security systems offices
Plastic and paper waste stores
Pottery and handicrafts trading
Used spare parts shops
Doors and windows shops
Shows selling all kinds of kitchens
Companies and offices selling and maintaining elevators and escalators
Building and construction contracting offices
Accessories and artificial ornaments shops
Blankets and bed sheets stores
Wooden and iron boxes shops
Shops and factories selling charcoal and fuelwood
Iron and aluminum products shops
Real estate brokerage offices
Furniture upholstery
Blacksmith accessories and aluminum strips shops
Audio tapes stores
Wedding dresses and accessories stores
Building cleaning offices
Car seat upholstery
Metal turnery
Artistic production stores and offices
Thermal insulation installation offices
Ice factories
Selling, repairing and making musical instruments
Offices specialized in ink filling
Financing offices
Shops that sell and produce mussar
Air conditioners and washing machines repair shops
Workshop supplies stores
Shipping and customs clearance offices
Metal engraving offices
Manufacture of containers
Making Omani daggers (Khanjar)
Financial Brokerage Office
Ironing and laundry shops
Sale and installation of equipment for hotels, restaurants and kitchens
Specialized stores selling glass
Shops that repair and install products and glass panels
Specialized stores selling tickets, antiques and paintings
Advertising and media institutions
Shops that cut used tires
Manufacturing and installation of gypsum works
Integrated tailoring workshops and garment factories
Men’s and women’s tailor shops
Driving schools
Travel and tourism offices
Family counseling offices
Hospitality services companies
Opening of camel tracks and fields for camel training only
The decision to re-open the above commercial activities does not apply to parts of Muttrah, Hamriya, and the Wadi Kabir Industrial Area.
Precautions for visitors, retailers, and admin at mall and commercial complexes:
People aged 60 years and over and under children under 12 are not allowed in.
Car parks in the mall should be at 50% capacity; taking into account physical spacing.
The prayer hall will remain closed until further notice by the Supreme Committee.
Focal points must be placed inside the mall to monitor and ensure that customers wear face masks, prevent customers from gathering in the same place and prevent entry in the event that the mall is getting crowded.
Customers must wear face masks at all times.
All mall visitors, retail store employees and third-party contract employees are subjected to heat checks through thermal cameras placed at all entrances.
Retailers, third-party contract employees and logistical business employees such as delivery or unloading must inform the center’s manager of information about infected or contacted cases subject to sanitary isolation procedures, and they must notify the center’s administration in the event of any symptoms related to Covid-19 among employees, for the center’s management to take appropriate actions.
Malls must provide soap and tissue paper in the toilets.
Malls must ensure that there are a sufficient number of waste containers, especially in the entrances and exits of the commercial center and parking lots.
Maintenance of good ventilation inside the mall and ensuring that the air conditioning system works well with adequate supplies of fresh air, and the cleaning of air purifiers and tubes regularly.
All tenants must clean and sterilize the stores before opening stores so that mall operations are safe to operate under the current conditions.
Retail business owners must provide hand sanitizers at the gates to enter the store or at the cashier counters, and they must be provided in multiple locations in larger stores.
Retailers should provide an updated list of all employees working in their stores.
All mall seats must be removed from public areas.
Hand dryers in all toilets should be closed.
The mall department will routinely inspect retail stores to ensure effective and frequent disinfection and sterilization by all outlets.
Retailers should not move an employee from one branch to another, and the mall administration should follow up on that.
A general guidance board should be placed on all entrances to the mall.
Meetings with remote vendors or contractors via Internet applications are preferred.
Face-to-face meetings should be avoided as much as possible. If the face-to-face meeting is necessary, this should be done in the reception area of the administration, taking into account physical distance criteria.
During the Covid 19 pandemic, it is important to clean generally touched surfaces, especially phone screens and laptops.
These devices should be sterilized using 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes or antiseptic wipes.
The commercial center reserves the right to take the necessary measures to close a shop or inform the competent or concerned municipality of any retailer that does not comply with the precautionary measures specified.
