As part of COVID-19 precautionary measures, organisers of exhibitions, conferences, cultural and sports events are required to take approval from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). In an announcement yesterday, the Ministry said that organisers of events should take approval by submitting an application form with the details of the event, including information on the venue and participants. The MoPH approval is in addition to any other necessary approvals required from other authorities.
Also the Ministry bears no responsibility for force majeure cancellation of the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organiser must fill out the event application form available on the MoPH website and submit it, along with a covering letter, to the office of the Minister of Public Health.
The request should be sent by email. “If the request is for an exemption from published MoPH protocols and measures, the request should clearly highlight this and should include a justification for the exemption request. Exemptions will require approval from Minister of Public Health, and the Prime Minister,” said the MoPH announcement. Once the event is approved by the MoPH, the organiser is responsible for adhering and complying with all public health measures, COVID-19 protocols and guidelines. It includes presenting a negative COVID-19 PCR test result certificate (conducted 48 hours before arriving), or adhering to testing at the airport upon arrival.
Subsequent swabbing for COVID-19 PCR testing will be undertaken from all delegates every three days till the end of the individual or delegation participation in the event or until the completion of two weeks since arrival in Qatar. All international delegates (including permanent support staffs that need to accompany the delegates such as bus drivers and others) are required to enter hotel quarantine before participation in the event.
All exhibitors, speakers, organizers and all participants should wear face masks all the time while at the activity venue (athletes are exempted from this only while engaging in sports activities) and adhere a 1.5 m physical distance between people (9 m2 per person) at all times.
Also all participants staff, organizers, delegates and public should have Ehteraz App installed and in green status. Thermal screening will be done for employees, participants, and public, and entry only allowed for those of 37.8 degrees or less. The organizers should maintain a registry of attendees and the sessions they attended to facilitate contact tracing if needed in case of clusters. The organizers of events are requested to sign a declaration confirming their commitment to adhere to the precautionary measures published by MoPH, as part of the application for approval
. As part of gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions sports events, competitions, international conferences, exhibition and cultural events were allowed to be held since September 1. International sports events, competitions, international conferences, exhibition and cultural events, were allowed to resume from October 1.
