“We all are morally responsible for the safety of our travelers, hence we have to educate them about the Covid-19 booster vaccination, which is recommended by the Ministry of Public Health’s (MoPH),” Tawfeeq Travel Group CEO Rehan Ali Syed told Gulf Times Tuesday.
He stressed: “I completely endorse and urge the same to all citizens and residents to take the flu shot along with the booster dose. We have to promote health and safety as a priority amongst all in Qatar. As time passes, vaccinated people become less protected, which is why doctors are asking people to get a booster dose.”
Syed also cautioned the public to verify reports, especially those circulating on social media to avoid creating panic and misinformation.
“All information needs to be validated from the right source, which is MoPH. The WHO has announced that this variant is considerably weak than the delta variant. Though the majority of the population in Qatar has been vaccinated, we should still be cautious and abide by MoPH guidelines to enjoy the outings and get-togethers,” Syed explained.
According to Syed, the Omicron variant has affected airline operations worldwide. There has been major flight cancellations across US and Europe.” This, however, “did not create a major impact with our passengers,” he emphasised.
Syed said, “Due to the high vaccination rate in Qatar, it is much safer here. The stringent rules applied in Qatar ensure the safety of the people.
On the impact of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry, Syed said markets have been “on recovery mode since the summer of this year.” However, regular changes or revisions of the list of countries from ‘Green’ to ‘Red’ and ‘Ultra-red’ “have created major uncertainty amongst travellers,” he pointed out.
Syed further explained: “With this new variant, we had major cancellations of bookings as most of the families booked to travel for winter cancelled their plans. It is very difficult to suggest or recommend any other place because you are not sure if there will be sudden changes in the Green Zone and some countries might get downgraded depending on the rate of infections.
“Nevertheless, for some of our travellers who decided to go ahead with their plans, we strongly recommended having the booster dose, as well as the flu shot in order to avoid any critical illness pertaining to the coronavirus and its variant.”
