Photo by Abdul Basit/ The Peninsula
Business activities picked up yesterday as most private businesses and offices reopened after the Eid Al Fitr holiday. Government offices, state agencies, and institutions will resume work on Sunday.
Traffic in and around Doha has been largely smooth in recent days, especially during the day, with several offices and schools closed and many residents already on vacation abroad. During the holidays, vehicular movement increases only late in the evening, particularly on roads leading to and around major shopping and entertainment destinations, as many take time to enjoy a well-deserved rest at home.
“The holiday was fun and refreshing, and we are happy to be back to work. It was a good time to refresh, refuel, and reconnect with family and friends after the holy month of Ramadan. We are looking forward to continuing where we stopped with the expectation of doing more businesses in the coming days,” said Marwan Abdullah, the owner of a travel agency in Doha.
With many entertainment activities, the Eid break was a perfect opportunity for many Qatar residents and visitors to enjoy the country like never before, with many thronging places outside Doha to relax and experience the beauty, unique scenery, and serenity of these top destinations.
“We are excited to be back to work after the break, though I would have wished it to continue as I had a wonderful time while it lasted. I participated in many activities and attended several events both within and outside Doha. We were happy to have the kids back in training yesterday, and I could see the excitement on their faces during training. For me, this is by far the best Eid experience in Qatar since I came in 2015,” said Amos Adetilewa, a football coach and co-owner of a sports academy.
A visit to the Industrial Area yesterday revealed that most spare parts shops, automobile workshops, and eateries have also reopened.
“We are hitting the ground running as we have lots of pending work in our garage which we have to complete on schedule. We might likely have to work overtime to clear the backlog in our workshops considering that every hour is important to entities like us. The workload has also increased for the existing staff as some employees are on leave. Besides, people coming from other GCC countries also visit us when they have a problem with their cars and want us to fix it quickly at any cost. We have to be prepared for them as well,” said Smith, a garage operator.
The garages where the workload is high after the Eid holidays include those that have contracts with insurance companies.
Work also resumed at several construction companies, especially mid-sized ones yesterday.
