COVID-19: Quarantine exemption announced for vaccinated travelers

IMPACT – HIGH

Qatari officials have announced that Qatari citizens and residents who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 are now exempt from quarantine requirements when arriving in Qatar.

Key Points:

• Qatari citizens and residents must meet the following conditions to be exempt from quarantine requirements:
  • Fourteen days must have elapsed since receiving the second vaccination.
  • Individuals must have been vaccinated in Qatar, not in foreign countries.
  • A negative COVID-19 PCR test result must be presented upon returning to Qatar or after being in touch with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• The quarantine exemption period begins 14 days after the second vaccination and lasts three months from that date.

Additional Information: Currently, entry to Qatar is only available to Qatari nationals, GCC nationals and residents. Anyone traveling from a country not on Qatar’s “green list” who has not been vaccinated in Qatar must quarantine for seven days in a government-approved hotel. Travelers arriving in Qatar from “green list” countries who have not been vaccinated in Qatar are required to complete a mandatory seven-day quarantine at home. The list of “green countries” countries is available here.

Testing and health protocols remain in place. Information about these protocols is available here.

Analysis & Comments: The vaccination exemption will make travel to Qatar easier for Qatari citizens and residents who received their vaccinations in Qatar. Employers planning to send employees to Qatar may wish to discuss the exemption with Deloitte. The response to COVID-19 continues to develop, and Deloitte will provide additional updates as information becomes available. Please check Deloitte’s COVID-19 Digital Map, available here, for information on travel restrictions and immigration changes in other countries.

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