Qatar initiates Bubble system to bout Covid19

Qatar's Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) stated the country is implementing a COVID-19 bubble system in the social lifestyle to curb the spread of the pandemic. A bubble system is a way of connecting only with limited groups and less physical intermingling with members of other families or groups.

To reduce covid contagion to an extent, experts recommend everyone to maintain a bubble circle involving only about 10 people. MoPH's social media post said that the system is being adopted with the idea to reduce the numbers of people coming into contact with each other in a regular basis.

The Chairman of the National Pandemic Preparedness Committee Dr Abdullatif Al Khalsaid that if families and friends maintained the bubble system, the virus could be prevented. "Friends who meet frequently can also apply this system so that their number remains limited and fixed and they don't come into contact with other people," Al Khal added.

With new cases of coronavirus variants from UK and South Africa being recorded, Qatari authorities urged all to be more attentive in precautionary measures against the pandemic. The UK Covid variant is severely contagious and has been creating more complications with hospital ICUs witnessing an 82 percent increase in Covid19 infected people within the last two weeks, MoPH officials alerted.

Meanwhile, the number of hospitalized people increased by 58 percent and 13 Covid-related deaths were recorded in the past two weeks.

Qatar on Friday reimposed a series of coronavirus-related restrictions such as barring children aged below 12 from entering malls and reducing the working capacity of commercial centres and markets to 30 per cent. Prayer halls and dine-in services at restaurants within commercial centres are all suspended. Cinemas to work at capacity of 20 percent and individuals below the age of 18 will not be permitted.

The state has recorded a total of 176,521 coronavirus cases and 282 fatalities, as of Saturday.