Muscat: Hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices found to be in violation of Supreme Committee decisions regarding COVID-19 protocols will be liable to a fine ranging between OMR500 to OMR2,000.
A statement issued online by the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism said, "His Excellency Salem bin Mohammed Al Mahrouqi, Minister of Heritage and Tourism issued Ministerial Decree No. 37/2021 on controls dealing with hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices in violation of the decisions of the Supreme Committee in charge to deal with COVID-19"
Article (1) stated that the competent authorities which are the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Health, the Royal Oman Police, and any other authority with competence will implement the decisions and monitor the provisions of these regulations.
Article (2) stated that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism is responsible for monitoring the compliance of hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices with the decisions issued by the committee.
Article (3) stated that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism shall control the acts that occur from hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices in violation of the decisions issued by the committee, and for this purpose, it may take the following actions and measures upon detecting violations in hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices, and taking the necessary measures in this regard, entering hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices to verify compliance with the Committee's decisions and editing a report of the violation committed.
Article (4) stated that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism seeks the assistance of the competent authorities in implementing the provisions of these controls.
Article (5) stated also that an administrative fine shall be imposed on hotel establishments that violate the decisions issued by the committee as specified in the decision to these controls.
Travel and tourism offices violating the decisions issued by the committee shall also face an administrative fine according to what is specified in the decision to these controls and the fine will be doubled in case of repetition of the violation, without prejudice to the right of the Ministry to close the violating establishment or office for a month.
Article (6) stated that the Ministry of Heritage and Tourism shall collect the prices of the fines, and transfer their proceeds to the account of the fund designated to counter the pandemic.
Article (7) stated also that the imposition of the fine specified in the decision to these controls does not preclude a public lawsuit being filed against the violating hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices.
Article (8) stated that hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices are not entitled to claim any compensation for applying these controls, based on agreements or contracts they entered into with others, or for any other reason.
The controls for dealing with hotel establishments and travel and tourism offices in violation of the decisions of the Supreme Committee will be as following:
1- Failure to register on the Sahala platform and not to activate the monitor (Rased) device granted by the concerned authority (a fine of 2,000 OMR)
2- Not contracting with a health institution to treat isolated cases that require medical intervention (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
3- Failure to inform specialists in the Royal Oman Police and the Relief and Shelter Sector of cases that violate the requirements of institutional isolation (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
4- Allowing isolated individuals to leave the facility or move between rooms and visit from any person from outside (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
5- Increasing the prices of hotel rooms designated for institutional quarantine agreed in advance (fine of 500 OMR)
6- Failure to maintain the cleanliness of the establishment and the quality of the services provided (a fine of 500 OMR)
7- Permission to isolate more than one person in one room without a relationship, and who do not come from the same flight or country from which he is travelling (a fine of 1000 OMR)
8- Failure to disclose to the Relief and Shelter Team about inmates who are required to be in institutional isolation (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
9- Failure to allocate 3 per cent of rooms in the facility for infected cases (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
10- Failure to adhere to the guideline on preventive measures against the emerging coronavirus COVID-19 in hotel establishments, restaurants and cafes and their workers (a fine of 1,000 OMR)
11- Failure to use the Sahala platform (a fine of 2,000 OMR)
