Roundup of the weeks news in Qatar Friday 13th August

QQ Weekend Edition Friday 13th August

Qatar’s Weekly News Update bringing you the biggest stories over the last 7 days.

The Qatar Quick Weekend Edition is brought to you in partnership with Marhaba.

Last Saturday the Peninsula reported that during a recent webinar the Ministry of Interior urged expatriates to adhere to the laws and be aware of customs and traditions in the country. Among items discussed was that due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s economic impact some companies may face troubles paying their workers’ salaries. In this case the ministry advised that workers should choose legal methods to file their complaints regarding non-payment of salaries instead of gatherings and strikes. Another item discussed was that anyone who finds lost items such as phones, cash, gold or jewellery must hand them over to their owner or to the nearest police station within seven days of finding it. If the person who finds such valuables keeps them in their custody and doesn’t hand them over during that period, then by the law they shall be sentence to imprisonment for a term of not more than six months with a fine of not more than 3,000 riyals. It was also suggested that leaving your mobile phones or valuables visible in your car might tempt a burglar. So probably best not to do that.

On Sunday our Olympic heroes returned home to a rousing welcome.

On Monday it was reported that Qatar was sending a search and rescue team to Greece to help deal with their wildfires.

Also, on Monday’s front page of the Tribune was that seven people had been referred to the public prosecution for spreading fake news. The competent authorities at the Ministry of Interior had referred seven people to the public prosecution after they used social media to spread false news and insight racial and tribal strife.

On to Tuesday now, and 106 worksites were shut down for three days for flouting the midday work ban rule. From the 1st of June until the 15th of September working outdoors under direct sun is prohibited between 10am and 3:30pm for the protection of workers.

Also on Tuesday it was reported that a second team of Qatari Search and Rescue had reached Greece.

And the Ministry of Commerce and Industry recorded 81 violations during an extensive inspection campaign it carried out in July. Violations included displaying expired products, failing to display the price of commodities, failing to offer a service warranty for an appropriate period, refunding customers, or re-offering the service in an appropriate manner, failing to comply with the mandatory price bulletin of vegetables and fruits, failing to issue invoices in Arabic, and offering discounts without obtaining the necessary licence from the competent department. Penalties imposed on retail outlets included administrative closures and fines ranging between 5,000 and 30,000 riyals.

Now onto today’s news and Doctor Hanadi Al Hamed, the Medical Director of the Qatar Rehabilitation Centre at Hamad Medical Corporation, says that most hospital admissions are now of unvaccinated people above the age of 65. She goes on to say “this message is for all our older citizens in Qatar who have not yet been vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The delta variant is a significant risk in most countries around the world, especially for our elderly population. It is more contagious and causes more severe symptoms then other strains.”

Now here’s this week’s COVID Update

In the last 7 days there has been 948 new local cases reported, and 540 cases arriving into the country, giving us a total of 1,488 new cases. There were 1,182 reported recoveries and no COVID related deaths. Which means that in the last week the active number of COVID cases has increased by 306 to 2,376. Worth noting is that the active cases has risen every day for the last 18 days non-stop by an average of 42 cases per day. Also worth noting is that although the number of active cases continue to rise slowly, I’m delighted to say that there have been no COVID related deaths for the past 15 days.

Please continue to show your support by following COVID precautionary measures and if you haven’t already done so, please get fully vaccinated as soon as possible.

And here’s some great news for those who love driving. You can now own one of these amazing MG cars for an example price of as little as 799 Qatari Riyals per month. Including warranty for 6 years or 200,000 kilometres whichever one comes first. That’s a lot of worry-free motoring.

A Great British Brand since 1924, now owned by China’s biggest car manufacturer SAIC.

The quality of these vehicles and the value they represent is approaching unbelievable. But don’t take my word for it drop into one of Qatar’s friendliest car showrooms and see for yourself. Tell them Brian sent you.

Terms and conditions apply for finance and warranty, please contact the showroom for more information

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