oman daily · 2020. 5. 25. · like letter from my com-pany and resident card, i was not allowed to...

MUSCAT: Tenancy agreement assumes importance with the denial of entry at check-points to people who failed to prove their place of residence amid coronavirus lockdown.

Several people who were eligible to travel to their workplaces were stranded at the check-points in the Wilayat of Muttrah as they did not have rental agreement. Along with other manda-tory documents, a copy of the agreement is a must to prove the place of residence to cross the checkpoints.

Even though the authorities insisted on work from home, exemp-tions are given to employees in certain professions whose pres-

ence is required at the place of work.

“Despite having the necessary documents like letter from my com-pany and resident card, I was not allowed to enter Ruwi as I did not have building contract with me,” said Muhassin Mohammed, a medical salesman who is living in

Ruwi. He said he was able to go Seeb with his employer’s letter and other documents. And there was no query about the building con-tract. “On my return, I was asked to show copy of the rental agreement to cross the checkpoint.”

The checkpoints in the Wilayat of Muttrah

following its isolation on April 1 are manned by the defence personnel in association with the Royal Oman Police. Anil Kumar, who works in a food man-ufacturing unit in Rusayil, too, had the same tale to narrate. “I was denied entry into Darsait where I am living as I did not have the building contract”.

Despite repeated warn-ings from Muscat Municipality, some real estate owners and land-lords in collusion with tenants continue to shun registration of the tenancy agreements.

Commenting on the issue, an official at the municipality said, “This is one among the many rights and facilities that tenants would lose if they do not sign the agree-ments with the landlords and register at the municipality”. TURN TO 5

TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020 SHAWWAL 3, 1441 AH

ESTABLISHED IN 1981 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI VOL. 39 NO. 194 | PAGES 16

OMAN DAILY

SURGICAL OR FABRIC MASK? WHICH ONE IS IDEAL FOR YOU?

MUSCAT: Surgical mask or fabric mask? Which one gives better protection from coronavirus infection? Disposable mask is costly and while fabric is cheaper and easy to make. Observer spoke to doctors on the pros and cons of using both types of masks, which is now mandatory in the Sultanate for people when they venture out of their homes.

Dr Hamed al Harthy, Director of Al Nahdha Hospital, says surgical masks are

better as they have three protective layers. “While visiting hospitals or interacting with patients, one should wear surgical masks. At public places you can wear fabric masks. However fabric must be washed regularly”.

“Both surgical masks and fabric masks give same level of protection that we need. There is no credible proof that one is better over the

other”, suggests Dr Nigel Kuriakose from SQU Hospital. He cites a study, which found

that a cloth mask offers more protection than a surgical mask. Researchers, using a measurement for viral loads, found 2.42

log copies per millilitre on the exterior of surgical masks and 1.85 log copies per

millilitre on the exterior of cloth masks of infected patients at two hospitals in Seoul, South Korea. Dr Sayyid Jaffer

Hussain suggests that for ordinary people fabric mask is better. TURN TO 5

NEED FOR RENTAL PACTSAT CHECKPOINTS TOO

S A M U E L K U T T Y

K A B E E R Y O U S U F

DO NOT TOUCH THE EXTERIOR OF THE MASK

DISPOSE OFF THE MASK PROPERLY AFTER USE

DO NOT INTERACT WITH SOMEONE NOT WEARING A MASK

A MASK IS NOT AN ALTERNATIVE TO HAND WASHING AND SOCIAL DISTANCING

NEVER TOUCH YOUR FACE WITHOUT CLEANING HANDS

,

[email protected]

@omanobserver

OBSERVER WISHES READERS HAPPY AND

PROSPEROUS EID

2 TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

OMAN

SALALAH: Most of the shopping out-lets dealing in groceries and essen-tials reported high demand for masks and hand gloves due to unprecedented awareness among the people and adherence to the Supreme Committee’s call to main-tain maximum precaution against COVID-19.

The shopping outlets reported 50 to 60 per cent more demand for masks, gloves and other safety kits from the shoppers who came for shopping soon after the announce-ment of moon sighting and declara-tion of Eid holidays.

The management of these shopping outlets, however, maintained that there was enough stock of masks and hand gloves at their stores.

Most of the people were seen wear-ing masks and gloves while doing shopping, while 90 per cent put on masks before stepping out of their houses. The awareness or maybe the strictness of the Royal Oman Police

was so high that most of the drivers were seen carrying a mask even when they were driving alone.

Some 15 days ago same alertness was missing in Salalah, maybe due to Dhofar Governorate having less number of cases, with total being 23, 16 recovered, one death and six sick.

“People here were taking the COVID-19 protocols lightly, but now the level of alertness is very high and it is in right direction to maintain the numbers at lower levels and finally combat COVID-19,” said Ashraf Ali and added it was very important until some medicines

and vaccines were developed.The level of alertness can be found

in Eid greetings through social media in which most of the images and text messages have mentioned ‘Celebrating Eid at home and observe social distancing to avoid the spread of novel coronavirus’.

People are generally avoiding assist-ance of domestic help as an effective measure to maintain the principle of social distancing and avoid any chance of allowing COVID-19 carrier in the household. But there are some sensible people who are providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to their domestic helps.

Afroza, a housemaid, admitted that her employer, who is a schoolteach-er, calls her three days in a week and takes maximum hygiene care. “Though I take care of not going any-where to avoid contacts and main-tain social distancing, my employer gives me a PPE kit on every visit. I find it a good way to keep the virus at bay and keep everyone safe in the house,” she said.

SHOPPING OUTLETS REPORTED 50 TO 60 PER CENT MORE DEMAND FOR MASKS, GLOVES AND OTHER

SAFETY KITS FROM THE SHOPPERS WHO CAME FOR SHOPPING SOON

AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF MOON SIGHTING AND

DECLARATION OF EID HOLIDAYS

K A U S H A L E N D R A S I N G H

PEOPLE STICK TO SAFETY NORMS AGAINST COVID-19

DECISION ON BACK TO WORK SOON?

MUSCAT: The Supreme Committee on COVID-19 will meet on the first working day after Eid al Fitr holidays, it was revealed at the press conference on Thursday.

Some of the keenly-awaited decisions include that of returning to work both in the private and government sectors. It will also decide on allowing tourists to Dhofar Governorate during the upcoming Khareef season.

The Supreme Committee is expected to make a decision on easing restrictions in the Muscat Governorate, which has been put under lockdown until May 29. The Wilayat of Muttrah has been in isolation since April 1.

At the press conference, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Futaisi, Minister of Transport, said that the return

of air traffic will start with domestic flights and then international services, though he stated that no specific date has been set for the opening of the sector.

The minister also said even though the government has been trying to reduce expenses by 43 per cent in the aviation sector, the return of the pre-pandemic (COVID-19) days will take a long time, up to four years.

The return of the flight operations will require the restructuring of the national airlines, as revenue during this period has reached zero.

As a member of the Supreme Committee on COVID19, he said that commercial and industrial activities cannot remain closed for a long time. “We are gradually reopening them. Failure to comply will lead to closure again.”

The restoration of public transportation will be gradual and with new regulations, Futaisi said.

S T A F F R E P O R T E R

www.omanobserver.om TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020 3

MUSCAT: The Royal Oman Police (ROP) on Sunday arrested a number of resi-dents and citizens across the Sultanate for defying orders of the Supreme Committee tasked to deal with the coro-navirus outbreak.

In Al Dakhiliyah Governorate, police arrested 49 expatriates on charges of gathering for lunch in one of the commercial complexes violating the committee’s decisions. The police have taken legal action against the violators.

Meanwhile in Muscat, the ROP arrested 40 expatriates on charges of gathering and conducting Eid prayers in Ghala Industrial Zone.

In another incident, the ROP arrested 34 expatriates on charges of playing cricket in the Al Ansab area.

The ROP also arrested 13 expatriates on charges of gathering on the rooftop of a building in the Al Khoud area.

In Sinaw, the ROP arrested a group of citizens for gath-ering and preparing shuwa pits.

The police in Dhofar Governorate arrested some people for participating in gatherings, for not wearing masks in public places, and for carrying out other pro-hibited activities.

The South Batinah police fined a group for not wearing masks in public places.

The ROP imposed fines on all violators as suggested by the Supreme Committee.

OMAN

BURAIMI VEGETABLE MARKET CLOSED AS COVID-19 CASES REPORTED

ROP TAKES TOUGH ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS OF GUIDELINES

MUSCAT: Al Buraimi Market for Vegetables and Fruits has been closed due to the pres-ence of five positive cases of COVID-19 among some expatriate work-ers.

While the closure is as part of the precaution-ary measures being

implemented by the municipality, sources

said the presence of pos-itive cases in the Buraimi

market is due to the arrival of trucks trans-porting vegetables and fruits from neighbour-ing countries before Eid al Fitr, in addition to the presence of some deliv-ery representatives.

Al Buraimi, which currently has 83 cases, saw substantial increase in the number of posi-tive cases over the past two week

STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER


OMAN

MUSCAT: It is Eid holiday and there are social distanc-ing regulations in place in the Sultanate. The Eid cele-bration, which sees the high-est number of guests visit-ing each other, is invariably the most challenging period in view of the COVID-19 restrictions. The elderly especially are considered as a vulnerable group and accordingly families have been taking precautions.

Nasser al Yahyai found the best way to protect his par-ents by taking them to anoth-er location for the holiday, thus the family took off to their home in Jabal Akhdhar, the Green Mountain.

“We all are together so it is a good thing, but for my par-ents the whole pandemic experience has been diffi-cult to digest… Here in Jabal Akhdhar the weather is ideal throughout the day”, said Nasser. The tempera-ture in Jabal Akhdhar is 26 degrees Celsius and at night it goes down to 17 degrees Celsius.

Born in 1930s, Nasser’s

father Said al Yahyai and a veteran businessman from Bahla said, “In all these years this is the first time I have experienced a lockdown and seeing the nation go through a pandemic”.

Umm Nasser agreed, “A Ramadhan without prayers in the mosque, no Taraweeh prayers during the whole month and now Eid without community gatherings or visitors are all unimagina-ble”.

Said al Yahyai misses the

normal movement from place to place. He goes out only if it is necessary, but at 90 he feels sorry that he does not get to see people much due to the lockdown. Till today he cannot believe what is happening but has faith and he believes in God’s choice.

“What is happening right now maybe good for us, you never know”, Al Yahyai said.

But the fact is everyone adapted to the changes including children who

opted to play in the garden and learn more about nature and gardening.

This is the advice Said al Yahyai has for everyone, “Strictly stay at home to be safe and protect others”.

But the grandfather of the house did not forget one of the most popular traditions for the children – Eidiya. On the Eid morning, just as any other year, Said al Yahyai had been prepared for the moment with fresh notes of 100 baisas to the delight of the grandchildren.

But in his hand there are more notes left which would have gone into the hands of other children in the neigh-bourhood had there been no pandemic. He has decid-ed to keep it and make it up for the other younger ones when the time comes to meet them.

“He is always prepared for Eidiya. It is a usual habit whenever he sees kids, even if it is not Eid.

Before the pandemic every Friday we have gathering at his house when all his grand-children come and he awaits with Eidiya for them”, said Nasser.

L A K S H M I K O T H A N E T H

HOME QUARANTINE, FARTHER BUT SAFER!

NASSER AL YAHYAI CHOSE THE BEST WAY

TO PROTECT HIS PARENTS

BY TAKING THEM TO AN

IDEAL LOCATION FOR

THE EID HOLIDAY; THUS

THE FAMILY TOOK OFF TO

THEIR HOME IN JABAL

AKHDHAR

SEZAD urges companies to follow instructionsMUSCAT: Duqm Economic Zone Authority (SEZAD) has said that it is working close-ly with the Ministry of Health (MoH) towards combating COVID-19 in Duqm.

As the Ministry of Health reported the first COVID-19 case from Duqm on Saturday, SEZAD urged all companies to strictly adhere to the following instructions:

Providing regular multi-lingual awareness messag-es to employees, on the necessity to adhere to pre-cautionary healthy habits and physical and social dis-tancing, issued by the Supreme Committee and Ministry of Health and not to leave accommodation except for extreme neces-sity and wearing masks.

The approval includes the responsibility of the project to provide places for pre-cautionary institutional iso-lation, before commencing work. The application shall

be sent by e-mail [email protected]

Reducing the number of passengers in buses by half, and the density of gather-ings in dining halls by organ-ising dining times or deliv-ering food to the rooms.

Providing masks and hand sanitisers to workers at workplaces and accommo-dations, as well as imple-menting daily external examination of workers, before boarding the bus and

heading for work. Any work-er with symptoms or a high temperature shall be pre-vented from boarding the bus.

Taking into consideration the workers’ accommoda-tion requirement, as per the health requirements issued by SEZAD, hygiene, suffi-cient ventilation, and inspec-tion of the rooms on a daily basis shall be conducted to measure the workers’ tem-perature and monitor their

health condition.Not to bring any other

workers from outside Duqm, unless written approval is obtained from SEZAD’s HSE Department.

Workers suspected of being infected or to have been in contact with an infected case, shall be immediately directed to Duqm Hospital and the health monitoring team in Duqm shall be contacted on 92043535 or 98879416.

S T A F F R E P O R T E R


OMAN

FROM P1

According to him, some real estate owners and tenants refuse rental agreements to evade the five per cent of rent fees payable to the municipality.

Recently, ROP had made tenancy agreement man-datory for renewal of resident cards for expatri-ates.

In the event the landlord fails to register the lease agreement within a period of one month from the date of signing the lease agreement, the tenant may do so within the specified period, the municipality official said.

“Masks made of fabric are currently recommended in public places and they pre-vent transmission of dis-ease by stopping the drop-lets from nose or mouth. But they are not that effi-cient in protecting the wear-er as a surgical mask”, says Dr Benny Panakkal, a sen-ior cardiologist.

Dr Dilip Singhvi, internal medicine specialist, says surgical mask is better in protecting from coronavi-rus infection. “We didn’t advocate it initially because there was an acute short-age of masks and fabric

masks were used to bridge the gap”.

Ammujam Raveendran, an environmentalist, bats for reusable fabric masks to avoid littering. “Reusable cotton masks can be washed and worn several times, and even if disposed, they are biodegradable”.

Masks worn for general purposes can be made out of 100 per cent cotton fab-ric according to CDC guide-lines, which stipulates that they should be 2-layered or more. Whatever be the type of mask, please keep in mind the following:

SURGICAL OR FABRIC MASK? WHICH ONE IS IDEAL FOR YOU?

Need for rental pacts at checkpoints too

KABUL: Zia Gul gave birth to her daughter hours after escaping from gunmen who rampaged through a Kabul maternity ward, and now struggles to reconcile the joys of early motherhood with the trauma of the attack.

As she delights in the first days with her new daughter Roya, the sleepless nights famil-iar to any new parent are haunted by the gruesome May 12 attack that killed at least 24 people. “I have nightmares every night”, the 28-year-old said, sitting on a carpet in her Kabul home, cradling her sleeping daughter in her lap.

Newborns, mothers and nurses, were killed when gunmen posing

as members of the security forces ram-paged through the facility run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in an attack that shocked a country long accustomed to brutali-ty after decades of war. No group has claimed responsibility for the massacre.

As the militants went on their killing spree —described by MSF as “a systematic shooting” — doctors at the hospi-tal helped Zia Gul and others hide. She later managed to escape and was evacuated by security services to another facility.

An hour later, her daughter Roya was born, a blessing after suffering an earlier miscarriage. But the joy was dulled — her

mother-in-law, who had come with her to the hospital, was killed in the attack.

Akram, 40, who only gave his first name, vividly recalls the after-math of the horrific attack that killed his wife shortly after she had given birth to their daughter, Maryam. Approaching the hos-pital bed where her body lay, he did not know the woman lying there was his wife. “I recognised her from her feet”, he said.

He had no idea his new daughter was alive until he saw a Facebook post saying she had been evacuated to another hospital, with an accompanying pic-ture and phone number.

— AFP

WORLD6 TUESDAY MAY 26, 2020 www.omanobserver.om

Joy and sorrow for Afghan attack survivors

HONG KONG: China on Monday threatened counter measures against the United States if it was punished for plans to impose a sedition law on Hong Kong, that the business hub’s security chief hailed as a new tool that would defeat “terrorism”.

Beijing plans to pass a new security law for Hong Kong that bans treason, subversion and sedition after months of massive, often-violent pro-democracy protests last year.

But many Hong Kongers, business groups and western nations fear the proposal could be a death blow to the city’s treasured freedoms and thousands took to the streets on Sunday despite a ban on mass gatherings introduced to combat coronavirus.

As police dispersed the crowds with tear gas and water cannon, Washington’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien warned the new law could cost the city its preferential US trading status.

But China’s foreign ministry said Beijing would react to any sanctions from Washington.

“If the US insists on hurting China’s interests, China will have to take every necessary measure to counter and oppose this”, foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told reporters on Monday.

Hong Kong has become the latest flashpoint in soaring tensions between the world’s two super powers which China has likened to “the brink of a new Cold War”.

The refusal to grant Hong Kongers democracy has sparked rare bipartisan support in an otherwise bitterly divided Washington during the Trump administration.

Beijing portrays the city’s protests as a foreign-backed plot to destabilise the motherland and says other nations have no right to interfere in how the international business hub is run. — AFP

Sakena, 40, feeds newborn Mohmmad Ali, who was rescued during an attack by militants at a maternity ward in Kabul on Monday. — AFP

China threatens US counter measures


WORLD

US BANS TRAVELLERSFROM BRAZIL

NEW DELHI: After first failing with a viper, an Indian man has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife by letting loose a cobra in her room, police said on Monday. Police in the southern state of Kerala said phone records showed the man -- named as Sooraj -- had been in contact with serpent han-dlers and had also watched snake videos on the Internet.

In March, the 27-year-old got hold of a highly venomous Russell’s viper which bit his wife

Uthra and left her in hospital for almost two months, police official Ashok Kumar said.

While still recuperating at her parents’ house earlier this month, Sooraj obtained a cobra from a snake handler and threw the ani-mal at his sleeping wife.

Uthra’s parents became suspi-cious when Sooraj tried to secure ownership of his wife’s property just days after her death.

She was from an affluent family, but Sooraj -- who worked in a pri-

vate bank -- was not so well off. The couple had a one-year-old child. Police said the marriage had involved a huge dowry comprising nearly 100 gold coins, a new car and some Rs 500,000 (around $20,000) in cash.

“Sooraj feared that divorcing Uthra would mean giving back all the dowry. That’s when he decided to kill her”, the police statement said.

The snake provider was also arrested, it added. — AFP

MADRID: Europe inched up its coronavirus shut-ters a little further on Monday as nightclubs, museums and swimming pools reopened in parts of the continent.

While a post-pandemic life was gradually taking shape in what was former-ly one of the worst-hit regions, the virus contin-ued its rampage across Latin America, sparking a US travel ban for people coming from Brazil.

Rocketing infection rates in South America have pushed the worldwide caseload to nearly 5.4 mil-lion, with deaths approaching 350,000, but with the global economy battered, governments are scrambling to provide relief however they can to businesses and citizens wearying of mass confine-ment. Hard-hit Spain eased restrictions in Madrid and Barcelona, with the capital’s popular Retiro Park opening its gates on Monday for the first time in 10 weeks.

“The reopening of Retiro brings me a feeling of serenity, gives me com-fort”, said Rosa San Jose, a 50-year-old schoolteacher who had come to the park to walk, wearing a white mask.

Meanwhile, restaurants, bars and swimming pools

were among several types of businesses set to reo-pen in the Czech Republic, which has reported nearly 9,000 cases.

The nation will even allow events with up to 300 people, and Czechs are no longer obliged to

wear face masks in public except in shops and on public transport.

Elsewhere in Europe, cafes and restaurants in Greece were gearing up to reopen on Monday — but only those with outdoor service. Nightclubs and

bars were set to resume business in Iceland’s capi-tal Reykjavik, while zoos and museums will wel-come visitors again in Copenhagen, and Rome’s swimming pools and sports centres will also reopen. — AFP

SNAKE-BITE ASSASSIN KILLED WIFE AT SECOND ATTEMPT

Physician Fabiano Simplicio attends a girl showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus at the Unidos de Padre Miguel samba school headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday. — AFP

NOT ABOUT US, IT IS ABOUT OTHERS

D oes it take a fine to make us realise real-ity and what is good for us?

There is a virus that is waiting to be carried around and then there are us humans who are not able to override our emotions.

To ensure we stay safe the authorities introduced fines. But this seemed not to have stopped indi-viduals from cele-brations by gath-ering. Maybe we have not realised the danger of these gatherings and outings.

Experts reas-sure that in most cases the individ-ual will recover on their own in two weeks. But for the person who is going through the symptoms this holiday is totally different.

More than the symptoms it is the mind that must be going through many thoughts in folds.

One has to be mentally strong and we have to do everything to boost our immunity and mind. But let that not give us over confi-dence to take unnecessary risks by venturing out and troubling ourselves and the authorities.

But it can only be stopped if we are willing to take pre-cautions as organizations

or as individuals. We can meet and gather after the pandemic, let this year be an exception. Let us catch up online.

It is of course not practi-cal to be always indoors because the economy must run again and as they say the show must go on, but not at the cost of health.

To achieve that goal of being safe yet efficient in

getting back to the engine we must learn to unlearn certain habits.

Hearing so much about the two meter dis-tance the brain has already learnt to trigger off signals send-ing alerts as soon as we come across people. We need to learn to keep our fin-gertips from sur-faces we come

across. So have we lost our natural self?

It is called self defense. Let us not wait for others to safeguard us we owe that much to the nation. Keeping ourselves safe and healthy is our responsibility. Let us break the chain, give medi-cal professionals and the Royal Oman Police officials a relief. We are after all responsible adults. It is not about us, it is about our fam-ilies, the nation.

Let us think again, before stepping out.

To control COVID-19 infection, sodium hypochlorite or bleaching powder

is being used to disinfect the human body, along with surface and materials, these days. Sodium hypochlorite is commonly used for water and wastewater treatment, and medical disinfection. The recommended concentration of Sodium hypochlorite for disinfection purpose is 0.45 to 0.50 per cent. Sodium hypochlorite can cause serious health effects, like damaging epithelial tissues, eyes irritation, nausea, and even death if the concentration is high.

There is scientific evidence of severe health hazards of sodium hypochlorite. According to one report published in The New England Journal of Medicine, LD50 of Sodium hypochlorite was found to be 290 mg/kg for an oral dose, and 33.3 mg/kg for an intravenous dose for rats, (LD50 is the dose required to be lethal in 50 per cent of tested animals). This means 290 mg of Sodium hypochlorite (oral dose) is needed to kill 50 per cent of the animal population having 1 kg weight. For example, if a population of 100 people having 65 kg weight, ingests 18.85 g Sodium hypochlorite each, 50 per cent of them will die. Another study published in the Journal of Endodontics

found that the intradermal injection of 5.25 per cent sodium hypochlorite causes immediate hemorrhage and edema.

The New England Journal of Medicine study reported the high concentration of sodium hypochlorite could cause significant muscle breakdown that can lead to acute kidney injury. Two other studies reported in The Laryngoscope in 2006 and Veterinary and Human Toxicology state that a large quantity of sodium hypochlorite can result in disastrous complications, including death. It was reported in Critical Care Medicine that the inhalation of sodium hypochlorite vapors can cause damage to the respiratory tract as well as the esophagus.

The disinfection systems/ tunnels which are being used at present use fume or mist of sodium hypochlorite, which can even worsen the effects.

Recently, World Health Organization (WHO) has also warned against the use of Sodium hypochlorite for human body disinfection. Therefore, it is in the benefit of the common people to stop uncontrolled and unregulated use of Sodium hypochlorite for human body disinfection.

The author is Assistant Professor, National University of

Science and Technology, Muscat, Oman

Bleach bad for health

ANALYSIS

Lakshmi [email protected]


Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this page are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the opinion of the Observer.

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VIRUS CAN ONLY BE STOPPED IF

WE ARE WILLING TO TAKE

PRECAUTIONS. WE CAN MEET AND GATHER

AFTER THE PANDEMIC, LET

THIS YEAR BE AN EXCEPTION. LET

US CATCH UP ONLINE.

BUSINESS

MUSCAT: Shams Ad-Dhahira Generating Company SAOC (SAGC), which is developing Oman’s biggest utility-scale solar PV project, says it is making headway in the implementation of the giant scheme at a sprawling site in Ibri Wilayat in Dhahirah Governorate.

Notwithstanding chal-lenges posed by supply disruptions, mobility restrictions and other precautionary measures imposed by authorities to stem the spread of the COVID-19 disease, work on the so-called Ibri II Independent Power Project (IPP) – a 500 MW solar photovoltaic based grid-connected utility – is continuing apace.

In recent weeks, a number of Chinese firms specialising in solar tech-nology and related equip-ment manufacturing

have announced the award of contracts linked to the implementation of the landmark project.

Shams Ad-Dhahira Generating Company is a consortium led by Saudi-based ACWA Power and comprising Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) and Alternative Energy Projects Company (AEPC). The company recently achieved financial close on the roughly $400 mil-lion project.

Arctech Solar, a leading manufacturer of solar tracking and racking sys-tems, said it has complet-ed production and ship-ment of major tracker components from its Chinese facilities to the site of Ibri-II in the Sultanate. The Oman project, it noted, is not only the “largest utility-scale PV plant in the

Middle East to date, but also one of the world’s largest PV plant boasting single-axis trackers and bifacial modules”.

“Considering the project was set up in the harsh tropical desert environ-ment and equipped with bifacial modules, the

SkyLine (1P) tracking system, one of the most advanced innovative products of Arctech,

was an ideal match to the project, what is thought to be the best combination of the two cutting edge technologies in the world,” it announced in a statement.

Sungrow, a Chinese based supplier of solar inverter solutions, said it will shortly commence shipments of inverters to the Ibri-II project.

Compatible with bi-facial modules and track-ing systems, the inverter

solution can significantly maximise returns on the project, it noted.

Earlier, Jolywood (Taizhou) Solar Technology Co Ltd, the world’s largest manufac-turer of N-type bifacial solar panel modules, said it has kicked off deliveries of modules for the Ibri-II scheme. With bifacial solar modules, power can be produced from both faces of the module, thus increasing total energy generation.They are also known to be more dura-ble because both sides are UV resistant.

Slated to come into operation in the summer of 2021, the Ibri-II solar IPP will sell its clean ener-gy output to state-owned offtaker Oman Power and Water Procurement Company under a 15-year contract. At full capacity, the Ibri project can power an estimated 33,000 homes and offset 340,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.


C O N R A D P R A B H U

CONSTRUCTION OF OMAN’S LARGEST SOLAR PV PROJECT MAKES HEADWAY

LANDMARK SCHEME: Trio of Chinese firms announce key supply

contracts

BUSINESS

NEW DELHI: Airlines’ plans to resume air travel in India were in disarray on Monday after some states restrict-ed the number of flights hours before departure, causing last-minute can-cellations and leaving hun-dreds of passengers stranded.

Airlines, including IndiGo, India’s biggest carrier, SpiceJet and Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore

Airlines, had been prepar-ing to resume operations from Monday with about a third of their capacity amid strict rules.

But new restrictions at major airports, including Mumbai and Chennai, forced airlines to scramble late on Sunday to revise schedules.

The confusion will make it even harder for airlines to recover from the impact of a two-month lockdown

to contain the novel coro-navirus that has already cost tens of millions of dol-lars in lost revenue, indus-try executives, lawyers and analysts said.

“The entire handling of the restart has been reduced to a farce, causing pain for airlines, airports, and passengers,” said an industry executive on con-dition of anonymity.

IndiGo had planned to start with about 430 daily flights while its low-cost rival SpiceJet said it would operate 204 flights a day and AirAsia India would start with 77 flights.

The final number could be much lower as some states, especially where coronavirus cases are ris-

ing, have curtailed air trav-el following relaxations that last Thursday allowed some domestic operations to resume.

IndiGo said on Monday it plans to fly just over 200 daily flights until May 31.

Potential travellers are also likely to be deterred by a lack of clarity on quaran-tine rules in different states.

“It’s unfortunate there was no effective coordina-tion between the states and central government. Each state has come out with its own rules, which is confus-ing and will compel only a few to fly,” aviation law expert Nitin Sarin, a man-aging partner at Sarin & Co, said. — Reuters


20PC GROWTH IN TAKAFUL PREMIUMS LAST YEAR

MUSCAT: Gross direct premiums of Takaful – commonly referred as Is-lamic insurance – grew 20 per cent to RO 64.167 million in 2019, up from RO 53.584 million a year earlier, in trend with the steady growth of sharia-com-pliant Islamic finance in the Sultanate.

According to the Capital Market Au-thority (CMA), which regulates insur-ance activities in the Sultanate – both conventional and Takaful – Takaful premiums accounted for a 13 per cent share of gross direct premiums col-lected by insurance companies last year. It comes against a backdrop of strong growth in the insurance indus-try in general, with insurance firms recording a five per cent increase in gross direct premiums, which climbed to RO 486.58 million ($1.26 billion) last year.

CMA Executive President Abdullah bin Salim al Salmi credited the growth to the Authority’s continuing efforts to

boost the sector’s contribution to the national economy. “Takaful products achieved growth in gross direct pre-miums by 20 per cent in 2019, com-pared to the previous year. The share of Takaful was 13.2 per cent of the to-tal insurance portfolio at RO 64 mil-

lion ($166.2 million),” he stated in the Authority’s newly published Annual Report for 2019.

Direct premiums garnered by the general Takaful segment of the insur-ance business climbed to RO 54.717 million last year, up from RO 46.914 million a year earlier. General Taka-ful accounts for a 13 per cent share of the total general insurance business of all insurance firms in the Sultan-ate. Family Takaful, which has a 16 per cent share of total life insurance busi-ness, surged 42 per cent to RO 9.450 million last year.

To accelerate the growth of the in-surance market, the CMA has been urging insurance companies to em-brace technology and digital solutions in enhancing the delivery of quality services to customers, said Al Salmi. “In this respect, the indicators show that the growth in electronic insur-ance policies was 59 per cent during 2019 and we expect the year 2020 to witness a further breakthrough in this regard,” he added.

C O N R A D P R A B H U

RISING SHARE: THE SHARE OF TAKAFUL WAS RO 64 MILLION,

REPRESENTING 13.2 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL INSURANCE PORTFOLIO OF RO 486 MILLION ($1.26 BILLION) IN 2019

An IndiGo Airlines aircraft takes off as a man paddles his cycle rickshaw in Ahmedabad. — Reuters

India air travel restart hits chaos and cancellations

BUSINESS

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that Japan will lift a state of emergency for Tokyo and four remaining areas later in the day but that it could be reim-posed if the pace of infections picked up.

Social distancing curbs were loosened for most of the country on May 14 as new infections fell, but the government has kept Tokyo and four other prefectures under watch.

Abe also told a news conference that the total amount of stimu-lus from two economic packages would exceed 200 trillion yen but it would still take consid-erable time to get back to normal life while con-trolling infection risks.

He added that Japan had managed to get the coronavirus infection under control in just one and a half months, in its own way, and that this showed the strength of the “Japan model.”

Japan’s economy min-ister told reporters ear-lier on Monday the gov-

ernment had received approval from key advis-ers to remove the state of emergency for all remaining regions.

“While the emergency state will be lifted, it is important to expand economic activity in stages as we establish a new way of living,” Yasutoshi Nishimura said. He added that the head of the advisory panel had recommend-ed close monitoring of Tokyo, Kanagawa and Hokkaido prefectures, where cases had fluctu-ated.

To support an econo-my on track for its deep-est slump in postwar history, the govern-ment is considering fresh stimulus worth 100 trillion yen ($930 billion), mostly compris-ing financial aid for companies, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Monday.

The package, to be funded by a second sup-plementary budget, would follow a record 117 trillion yen spending plan deployed last month.

The combined stimu-lus would bring the total spending in response to the pandemic to about 40 per cent of Japan’s gross domestic product.

The new package would include 60 trillion yen to expand loan pro-grammes that state-affiliated and private financial institutions offer to firms hit by the virus, the Nikkei said.

Another 27 trillion yen would be set aside for other aid including capi-tal injections for ailing firms, the paper said.

— Reuters

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia’s largest commercial bank listed on the country’s stock market Monday, the first lender to trade on the fledgling exchange, despite uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Acleda Bank became the sixth firm to join the Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX), which opened in 2011, joining a garment factory, two state-owned ports, and a special economic zone.

But initial fanfare for the kingdom’s trading future has dimmed, with the country’s lack of financial literacy and a dearth of eligible companies being major obstacles.

Acleda has been operating since 1993 and had assets of $6.1 billion at the end of 2019.

Its market capitalisation marked $1.75 billion, triple that of the five other listed companies on the CSX.

Its chairman and managing director In Channy said about 2,500 public investors became its shareholders Monday, opening a “new chapter” for Cambodia’s financial sector.

He downplayed the risks of debuting on the CSX during the pandemic. “We saw that our investors did not hesitate because of the trust in Cambodia, in Acleda Bank and in relevant authorities,” In Channy said. — AFP

Cambodia bourse sees first bank listing

Japan lifts state of emergency; eyes $930 billion stimulus

Pedestrians wearing protective face masks, following the COVID-19 outbreak, walk past a show window of a department store in Tokyo. — Reuters

A woman working at a money exchange shows 500 Cambodian riel notes. — Reuters

TO SUPPORT AN ECONOMY ON TRACK

FOR ITS DEEPEST SLUMP IN POSTWAR

HISTORY, THE GOVERNMENT IS

CONSIDERING FRESH STIMULUS WORTH 100

TRILLION YEN ($930 BILLION), MOSTLY

COMPRISING FINANCIAL AID FOR

COMPANIES.


BUSINESS

TOP GERMAN COURT GRANTS BUYBACKS FOR VW DIESEL CAR OWNERSKARLSRUHE: A top German court ruled on Monday that Volkswagen must buy back a diesel car it modified to appear less polluting, a decision that could influence the outcome of tens of thousands of other “dieselgate” cases.

Judges at the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) in Karlsruhe “effectively upheld” a lower court’s ruling that plaintiff Herbert Gilbert can return his car to VW for reimbursement, but he must also accept a discount from the original purchase price for the time he used it.

Almost five years after Volkswagen’s admission to cheating on emissions tests involving millions of diesel engined cars, the ruling is the first real legal setback for VW in its home country.

“Volkswagen now aims to soon bring these cases to a close in agreement with the plaintiffs,” the company said in a statement, promising “appropriate offers” to affected owners.

“This judgement means legal certainty for millions of consumers and shows once again that even a huge corporation isn’t above the law,” Gilbert’s

lawyer Claus Goldenstein said in a statement.

Lead judge Stephan Seiters revisited the familiar story of how VW “for many years systematically brought vehicles onto the market whose software was programmed so that they only met (emissions) limits under test conditions”.

Judges said the mere fact of selling the modified car

to the plaintiff harmed him — even though VW has always argued the vehicles were “usable” for their intended purpose.

Monday’s hearing specifically concerned a case brought by 65-year-old Gilbert who bought a diesel-powered Volkswagen Sharan minivan in 2014 — just one of the 11 million cars worldwide fitted with emissions cheating

software by the carmaker.The judges in Karlsruhe

largely confirmed a lower court’s finding in favour of Gilbert, ordering VW to pay around 25,600 euros ($27,887) and accept his return of the car.

That payout, however, is almost 6,000 euros below the original purchase price, as the judges took into account depreciation of the vehicle’s value. — AFP

TOKYO: Oil prices eased on Monday on concerns over rising tensions between the United States and China over Beijing’s plans to impose security laws on Hong Kong and the possibility of sanctions from Washington.

Oil prices have risen sharply in recent weeks as an easing of coronavirus

restrictions has led to increased demand, but the tensions between the United States and China are beginning to weigh on sentiment.

Brent was down 19 cents, or 0.5 per cent, at $34.94 a barrel by 0152 GMT. US oil was down by 6 cents, or 0.2 per cent, at $33.19 a barrel. Both contracts

have risen for the past four weeks, although pric-es are still down around 45 per cent so far this year.

Hong Kong police used tear gas and water can-nons on Sunday to dis-perse thousands of people rallying against Beijing’s plan to impose national security laws on the city.

— Reuters

A VW Golf VII car (R) and a VW Passat are loaded in a delivery tower at the plant of German carmaker Volkswagen in Wolfsburg, Germany. — Reuters

Oil falls as US-China tensions take toll

A worker pumps fuel into a motorbike at a gas station in Manila. — AFP



SPORTS

KINGSTOWN: No fans allowed, no saliva on the ball and hand sanitisers on the boundary ropes.

Welcome to cricket dur-ing coronavirus as it’s being played out in the Caribbean this week.

Six teams are taking part in the Vincy T10 Premier League at the picturesque Arnos Vale venue near Kingstown, the main city on St Vincent.

Although very low key in the global affairs of international cricket, it’s the first tournament to be staged in a Test-playing region since the advent of the coronavirus pan-demic.

At first it was hoped that spectators would be allowed to attend as the risk of infection was con-sidered to be extremely low in a country with just 18 recorded cases.

“The St Vincent and Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA) would have preferred an option of a limited number of spectators, maybe 300 or 500 max in the stadi-um”, admitted SVGCA President Kishore Shallow.

“However, the experts expressed some initial concerns and advised that we attempt to regu-larise the management of players before we con-sider having spectators”.

Local fans had hoped to see home star Sunil

Ambris, one of six so-called “marquee players” in the tournament which runs until May 31.

“Yes, I could understand the frustration, but simi-larly, I appreciate the preference of (the health authority) that they do not want to encourage social gatherings”, added Shallow.

“At the end of the day, our safety and well-being are of paramount impor-tance”. Ambris must be thinking he is cursed in

his career.When he made his Test

debut for the West Indies in a series in New Zealand in 2017, he became the first player in the long history of the game to be dismissed ‘hit wicket’ in two consecutive innings.

On Friday, playing for the Salt Pond Breakers, at least the 27-year-old had the satisfaction of claiming two wickets in a three-wicket win against Grenadines Divers. — AFP

Saliva ban would be

temporary: ICC’s Kumble

MUMBAI: A recommendation banning the use of saliva to shine a cricket ball when the sport resumes after the novel coronavirus shutdown is only a temporary measure, Anil Kumble, the Chairman of the International Cricket Council’s Cricket Committee, has said.

Cricketers have used the age-old method of shining one side of the ball with a combi-nation of saliva and sweat to help bowlers generate more movement in the air as it trav-els towards the batsman.

However, as part of efforts aimed at minimising the risk of spreading the virus, the governing body’s cricket com-mittee has recommended the ban on using spit.

“We have been very critical and we have been very focused on eliminating any external substances coming into the game”, former India leg-spin-ner Kumble said on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected.

“This is only an interim meas-ure and as long as we have hopefully control over COVID in a few months or a year’s time then I think things will go back to as normal as it can be”.

Australia quick Pat Cummins has said cricket’s lawmakers should approve the use of an artificial substance to shine the ball if the ban on saliva was enacted, while compatriot Josh Hazlewood has said it would be difficult to police such a ban. — Reuters

T10 gets rolling in new look

NO FANS, NO SALIVA, HAND SANITISERS ON BOUNDARY


SPORTS

TORONTO: Brad Keselowski won the Coca Cola 600 in a shootout on Sunday as Nascar did its best to fill the sporting void created by the novel coronavirus shutdown with its longest ever race.

The 600-miler on the US Memorial Day weekend was already the long-est race on the Nascar calendar but on Sunday it went even longer after William Byron’s spin with five laps to go set up a two-lap shootout for vic-tory.

Deciding not to pit, Keselowski stayed on the track to move to the front of the pack and bolted clear on the restart, holding off a challenge from seven-time Nascar Cup cham-pion Jimmie Johnson, who was later disqualified after the post-race tech-nical inspection.

Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports team-mate Chase Elliott, who had

pitted on the final caution, was moved up to second place.

The race, which started on Sunday and finished on Monday, was halted for nearly 90 minutes after rain swept across the 1.5 mile super speedway after 50 laps.

“I feel like I’ve thrown this race away a handful of times and I thought we were going to lose it today”, said Keselowski.

“We might not have been the fast-est car today but wow did we grind this one out”.

Aside from a charity golf match pitting Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady, Nascar continued to have the sporting spotlight all to itself as the NBA, MLB and NHL con-tinue to look for ways to return from the shutdown. — Reuters

KESELOWSKI WINS NASCAR’S LONGEST RACE


SPORTSPRAGUE: Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova is happy to finally play tennis again for fans around the world - even if they can only watch on television.

The world number 12 will head-line an all-Czech tournament in Prague starting Tuesday without spectators, handshakes or the usual towel service.

The return to action is one of the first after pro tennis tours were suspended in early March as coun-tries went into lockdown to contain the spread of the new coronavirus.

Some exhibition events without fans have been held in countries like Germany and the United States while more are planned elsewhere in the coming weeks.

Kvitova last played at the Qatar

Open in February where she lost in the final to Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka. She said finding rhythm and playing without support would be the hardest part returning.

“That it will be without people is something I still can’t imagine at all,” she told a news conference on Monday. “We will play some nice tennis... I think we are mainly here to bring tennis back not only to the Czech Republic, but to the world, too.”

The Czech Republic has gradual-ly reversed lockdown measures. It has reported less than 100 new cases of the virus a day for much of May while two thirds of the nearly 9,000 people infected have recovered. The tournament, with eight players in both the men’s

and women’s draw, will resemble regular tennis as much as possi-ble. Ball boys and ball girls remain and players’ benches are in their usual spots. But players won’t shake hands at the net and tap rackets instead, and will take care of their own towels. Barbora Strycova, Barbora Krejcikova, Katerina Siniakova and Lucie Hradecka - who have all been part of Fed Cup teams that have won six championships in the past dec-ade - will compete.

World number three Karolina Pliskova will not play after return-ing from injury and last year’s French Open finalist Marketa Vondrousova will also be absent.

On the men’s side, 65th ranked Jiri Vesely will be favourite. — Reuters

KVITOVA READY

FORRETURN

WERNER BAGSHAT-TRICK


SPORTS

BERLIN: Sweet-toothed striker Timo Werner bagged a hat-trick as RB Leipzig thrashed Mainz 5-0 on Sunday to climb back to third in the Bundesliga and keep their dwin-dling title hopes just about alive. When asked how he would cele-brate, Werner, 24, told reporters “there will definitely be some sweets involved”.

Julian Nagelsmann’s side sit seven points behind leaders Bayern Munich ahead of the reign-ing champions’ top-of-the-table clash against second-placed Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday.

Leipzig bounced back from their draw with Freiburg last weekend in their first match since the corona-virus lockdown in style, with Werner moving to within three goals of Bayern’s Robert Lewandowski at the top of the

league scoring charts. Werner, who has been linked with several of Europe’s biggest clubs, has scored 24 Bundesliga goals this season including two trebles. Lewandowski scored his 27th league goal this term in Bayern’s 5-2 win over Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Leipzig’s victory was the 10th win for a visiting team in 18 matches since the Bundesliga restarted in near-empty stadiums.

“We could have scored a few more, but no complaints -- we’re very happy,” Leipzig sporting direc-tor Markus Kroesche told Sky. Werner opened the scoring in only the 11th minute, before Yussuf Poulsen marked his 250th appear-ance for Leipzig by heading home a Marcel Sabitzer cross on 23 min-utes. The pair reversed roles for the third when Poulsen laid the ball

off for Sabitzer to make it 3-0 at the break. Werner grabbed his second goal three minutes into the second half when Kevin Kampl played him into the area.

The visitors were attacking at will when Kampl had a goal ruled out for offside soon after. With 15 min-utes left, Poulsen’s floated free-kick was met by Werner who volleyed past Mainz goalkeeper Florian Mueller to wrap up his hat-trick.

EASY FOR AUGSBURGEarlier, Augsburg also eased to a comfortable away win with a 3-0 romp at Schalke. Heiko Herrlich enjoyed a perfect first Bundesliga game on the touchline as Augsburg coach, a week after he missed their loss to Wolfsburg because he broke quarantine rules to buy toothpaste. — AFP

LEIPZIG TROUNCE MAINZ, AUGSBURG ROMP PAST SCHALKE

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