The COVID Experience in Qatar

20/10/2020

Sudeshna Sanyal*

Earlier this year as the spread of coronavirus started to gather momentum in different parts of the world, we, the residents of Qatar, braced for its impact as well. Although the first cases outside China were reported from different countries in January, the first confirmed case of COVID in Qatar was reported on 29 February,’20. This was a Qatari citizen who was evacuated from Iran. By 19 March, the number of total infected people rose to 460. Everybody knew that the spread of the infection in Qatar was inevitable in our intricately connected world.

One by one, the government started taking strict steps to contain the spread of the virus. Travel ban was imposed, first, on 15 countries and later more were included in the list. A general ‘Lockdown’ was imposed in the first week of March and schools, universities, parks, religious places, shops, restaurants, malls and other establishments were closed. Face masks became mandatory in public places with a very heavy fine for non-compliance. Maintaining social distancing in public places became a norm. 

Building Awareness

A contact tracing app was introduced – Ehteraz App. No one was allowed to enter offices providing essential services like banks without a ‘green’ in the App. Even when the malls, other offices, shops, etc. reopened later on in July during the second phase of easing the lockdown, each person’s Ehteraz app was checked at the entrance of all public buildings and measures like wearing face mask are still strictly being followed even now in the middle of October. At the initial stage of the lockdown only two persons were allowed in cars. People, including the citizens, followed all the rules imposed by the government and any non-compliance was dealt with quickly and strictly by the government.

Ehteraz App

In terms of the number of people infected, May and June were the worst months with each day more than thousand people getting infected. Till date (19 Oct) the total number of people tested for COVID is 886186, total number of people recovered is 126650 and total number of deaths is 224. While we look at these number we must keep in mind that the population density of Qatar is 232 persons / sq.km. while the population density of West Bengal is 1029 persons / sq. km and that of Japan is 347 persons / sq. km.

Empty Beach Katara Cultural Village

                 

Earlier in June, the government had declared that the lifting of lockdown restrictions ‘will be based on striking a balance between health risks and social and economic benefits’ and accordingly the COVID-19 restrictions were eased in four phases starting from middle of June. Many organizations and educational institutions are still following a ‘work-from-home’ policy. Although Qatar is a wealthy country, it still saw the negative impact of the lockdown on the economy. In the initial stage of the lockdown, many expats lost their jobs. In October it was reported in newspaper, The Peninsula, that the‘non-energy private sector economy of Qatar continued to expand in September as a result of easing of lockdown'.

Empty Tourist Centre, Doha

Qatar National Library-Before the lockdown these galleries used to be full of people

My own experience of this situation is as overwhelming and novel as all the people on the planet. We never even dreamt of a unique situation like this in the 21^st century -- actor Robert De Niro aptly described it as an experience like “a surreal science fiction movie.” If not for the lockdown and the fear of getting infected, I would not have realized the immense importance of the freedom of movement. For the first time in my life my air ticket got auto-cancelled two times, once in March and next in June, as the Government of India closed its airspace for commercial flights. The freedom of movement is not only about freely travelling out of the country as and when needed – it is more about going out of the house without any restriction and anxiety. I, like many others, had taken this freedom so much for granted that I perceived its real importance only in its absence. Sometimes, seeing the empty roads, closed club and schools during my morning walks, it was so easy to imagine that I had time travelled to a period in distant future when the humans have abandoned the earth to settle elsewhere in the galaxy leaving the settlements on earth empty! I think that my experience in a lockdown situation was much more different from the people of many other countries in other parts of the world where the restrictions were more relaxed.

On the personal front, this was a period of immense learning and also a great time for self-reflection. This introspection helped me to change my mindset in many positive ways. I started not only doing, but also enjoying many things which I avoided before! We, the teachers around the world, learnt the nitty gritty of online teaching overnight – I would not have believed if someone had told me that all my lessons will be transacted online even in January this year! It was an unbelievable journey! I also undertook one of the free online courses that world-renowned foreign universities offered during the pandemic. Another new experience was the webinars -- I enjoyed many excellent webinars during the lockdown yet at the same time I was a bit annoyed to be bombarded with a large number of unnecessary webinars conducted by every Tom, Dick and Harry. 

In conclusion, a few things can be highlighted regarding the COVID situation in Qatar. Unlike some other countries, COVID 19 treatment is free for not only the citizens but also the foreign residents in Qatar. Another point to note is the strict use of the face masks and the contact tracing app unlike many other countries where such rules are not being followed even after their introduction. Having said these, we also must remember that this is one of the wealthiest countries in the world with a small healthy population in a tiny area of 11,571 sq. km – what is possible here might not be possible in huge countries with large population.

Acknowledgement:

The Ministry of Public Health, Qatar (https://covid19.moph.gov.qa/)

*Student, 1990