Qatar announced today, Wednesday, that it will cancel the requirement for those wishing to travel to it to possess a negative result for a Covid-19 examination, starting from the first of next November, that is, 20 days before the start of the World Cup on its stadiums.
And the Qatari Ministry of Health said - in a statement - that, starting next Tuesday, "it will be cancelled, for all visitors to submit or present the result of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test or the rapid antigen test negative for all visitors before traveling to Qatar.
The 2022 World Cup, which Qatar will host from November 20 to December 18, will be the first major global sporting event that has been attended by large audiences since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
In its statement, the Ministry of Health indicated that it will also cancel, starting next Tuesday, the requirement to "conduct a rapid antigen test or a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for citizens and residents after arriving in the State of Qatar."
Currently, citizens and residents alike must undergo one of these two examinations within 24 hours of their arrival in Qatar.
As of November 1, no foreign tourist will be able to enter Qatar if he does not have a "Haya" card.
As for the “Ehteraz” application for tracing contacts with people infected with Covid-19, which all residents of Qatar currently have to download on their phones to be able to enter any closed public place such as metro trains or commercial centers, it will not be mandatory, starting from next Tuesday, except in health centers exclusively.
The ministry said that these updates were decided, especially "in light of the continued decline in the number of cases of Covid-19 virus infection throughout the world and in the State of Qatar."