Qatar Economic Outlook Issue Number 13

Part 2 - Economic Performance 2017 - 2020 
 
113 
Lifting of Preventive Measures 
during Second Wave
After implementing a plan to impose stricter 
precautionary restrictions during the month of 
April 2021, the number of weekly infections 
declined from an average of 5,002 cases, 
having a maximum of 6,802 cases and a 
minimum of 840 cases during April, to an 
average of weekly 2,341 cases in May 2021, 
still with an alarming maximum of 3,818 
cases but with a minimum 676 cases. This 
encouraged the Qatari government to adopt 
a plan for the gradual lifting of Covid-19 
containment measures that included 3 
phases: Phase 1, which began on 28 May 
2021, included allowing 30% capacity in 
public transport, education, health and sports 
activities, museums and public libraries, and 
playgrounds, but allowing just 20% capacity 
for indoor entertainment, maintaining 
capacity at the workplace at 50%, allowing 
catering employees to provide hospitality and 
cleaning services at 30% capacity, and finally 
limiting indoor gatherings to 5 people and 
outdoor gatherings to 10 people, but with no 
wedding parties are allowed. 
In Phase 2, which started on 18 June 2021, 
the process of lifting restrictions expanded to 
include raising the capacity of employees in 
workplaces to 80%, obligating all employees 
in the public and private sector to carry out a 
Rapid Antigen Test on a weekly basis, and 
raising the capacity of health clubs, 
swimming pools, malls, and private health 
facilities. 
As for Phase 3, which started on 9 July 2021, 
the percentage of employees working at 
workplaces was maintained at 80%, while the 
capacity of transportation, education, health, 
sports, and entertainment was increased 
(see Box 2-14). 
Among of the most important features of the 
gradual lifting plan for the second wave is that 
patents recovering from the Covid-19 
infection were treated as equivalent to the 
vaccinated. However, Government continued 
the mandatory activating “EHTERAZ” 
application whenever leaving the house as 
well as the wearing of masks in public places 
during all phases of the gradual lifting. 

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