Law on the Control of Communicable Diseases promulgated by Royal Decree 73/92 and consolidated up to Royal Decree 32/2020 issued on 23 March 2020

Article 1 Every disease listed in the schedule attached to this law is considered a communicable disease, and the Minister of Health may - by virtue of a decision by him - amend this schedule by addition, removal, or transfer from one section to another in the schedule.

Article 2 It is required to report a person infected, or is suspected of being infected, with a communicable disease, or who is a carrier of the germs of those diseases, to the nearest health establishment in accordance with the form issued by a decision of the Minister of Health within the following time limits: • 24 hours: For diseases in section I of the schedule. • 1 week: For diseases in section II of the schedule. • 20 days: For diseases in section III of the schedule.

Article 3 Those responsible for the reporting referred to in the previous article are in the following order: (a) The doctor who diagnoses the infected person. (b) The person responsible for the health establishment where the infection with the disease emerged. (c) The person responsible for the laboratory that examines the sample indicating the presence of the disease. (d) The head of the household of the infected person, his caretaker, his host, or whoever takes care of him. (e) The employer or the responsible manager, if the infection is found in an industrial, commercial, or public establishment. (f) The captain of a means of transportation, if the disease is found, or is suspected, during the presence of the infected person on it. (g) The representative of an administrative body (wali, sheikh, or police).

Article 4 The reporting of the infected person, or the person suspected of having the disease, must include his full name (three names), his surname or title, his place of residence, and his job, in a manner that enables health bodies to reach him. 1

Article 5 It is required to report communicable diseases transmitted from animals to humans listed in the schedule attached to this law, and those responsible for reporting those diseases are in the following order: (1) Veterinarians or their assistants who diagnose the infected animal. (2) The responsible technical director in the farm, barn, or place where the infection with the disease occurs. (3) The owner of the farm, barn, or place where the infection with the disease occurs. (4) The owner of the animal infected with the disease. In this case, the reporting must be to the body concerned with veterinary affairs, and this body shall notify the competent health centre within the period specified by the Minister of Health. The centre shall take the necessary preventive health measures in this case.

Article 5bis A person infected with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law is entitled to receive medical care and treatment in government treatment facilities in accordance with the rules and procedures specified by the Minister of Health.1

Article 5bis 1 All data and information relating to the person infected with a communicable disease mentioned in the schedule attached to this law is confidential, and it is not permitted to disclose them except in cases prescribed by law, or with the written consent of that person.2

Article 5bis 2 The competent health doctor shall provide the necessary advice to the person infected with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law, and make him aware of the nature of his disease, the methods by which it is transmitted, and inform him of the measures and guidance that he must follow to limit the transmission of the infection to others.3

Article 5bis 3 A person infected, or suspected of being infected, with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law shall immediately go to the closest health establishment to undertake medical examination, to receive treatment and advice, and to be made aware of the dangers of the disease and the methods by which it is transmitted.4 1 Added by Royal Decree 32/2020. 2 ibid. 3 ibid. 4 ibid. 2

Article 5bis 4 A person infected with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law shall provide the health establishment that undertakes his treatment with all the information and data of persons who came into contact with him within the period prior to his illness as determined by the Ministry of Health.5

Article 5bis 5 A person coming to the Sultanate, and who is aware that he is infected, or is suspected of being infected, with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law shall inform the border crossing authorities of this immediately upon his arrival to them, and, if available, shall provide these authorities with all documents and records relating to his health condition.6

Article 5bis 6 The Ministry of Health may subject a person coming to the Sultanate from areas where a communicable disease, listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law, is spread to medical examination to ensure that he is free of the disease. The Ministry of Health may undertake appropriate procedures and measures including quarantining him and holding his luggage and personal belongings in the places it specifies, in coordination with competent bodies.7

Article 5bis 7 A person infected, or suspected of being infected, with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law shall abide by the instructions and guidance prescribed to him by the health establishment undertaking his treatment. It is prohibited for the person infected with any of these diseases - upon his knowledge of the infection - to practise any behaviour that leads to transmitting the disease to others.8

Article 5bis 8 It is prohibited for any person to hinder, or refrain from carrying out, the procedures and measures prescribed to prevent the spread of the infection or its transmission to others.9

Article 6 Every person infected, or is suspected of being infected, with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law must be isolated in the hospital or the place 5 ibid. 6 ibid. 7 ibid. 8 ibid. 9 ibid. 3 determined by the Ministry of Health. Isolation must be by a decision from the competent health doctor.

Article 7 The Ministry of Health may isolate persons who come into contact with persons infected with communicable diseases listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law. Isolation is undertaken in the places designated by the ministry for this purpose on the basis of what the competent health doctor decides and for the duration he deems necessary.

Article 8 The Ministry of Health shall place those who come into contact with persons infected with communicable diseases under health observation. Those who come into contact with the infected person shall go to the competent health centres for medical examination at the appointments specified by the ministry for them. It is permitted to isolate those who come into contact with those infected with communicable diseases, if the nature of the disease of those infected or their job exposes others to the infection.

Article 9 In cases where the competent health doctor determines that it is possible to treat a person infected with a communicable disease listed in sections II and III of the schedule attached to this law in the place of his residence, the competent health personnel shall undertake the necessary procedures to prevent those who come into contact with him from being infected with the disease and placing them under health observation for the necessary duration.

Article 10 The competent health authorities may prohibit those infected with a communicable disease or those carrying the disease microbe from any activity connected with the spread of the infection, such as preparing, selling, or transporting food or beverages of any kind, or any other activity. Whoever is prohibited from any of the aforementioned may not return to any of those activities without permission from those competent health authorities. The employer or the manager who permits a person prohibited from any of the aforementioned to resume work for him in any of the mentioned activities is also liable.

Article 11 It is not permitted, without the permission of the Ministry of Health, to transport persons infected with a communicable disease listed in section I of the schedule attached to this law and whose isolation has been decided, and their transportation must be carried out by the means arranged by this ministry. It is prohibited to transport or conceal clothing, beddings, tools, furniture, or other items by which the infection may be transmitted. The Ministry of Health may order the destruction, sterilisation, or disinfection of such clothing, beddings, tools, or furniture. 4

Article 12 The Ministry of Health may take the necessary samples from those infected with a communicable disease listed in the schedule attached to this law, or from those who come into contact with them, for analysis in the laboratory to verify that they are free of the disease germs.

Article 13 Doctors and representatives of the Ministry of Health are authorised to vaccinate persons residing with the person infected with a communicable disease listed in the schedule attached to this law, and persons who come into contact with him or have been exposed to the infection by any means.

Article 14 The Minister of Health may issue a decision for compulsory vaccination to prevent new-borns, a specific group of the population, or the entire population from any communicable disease in accordance with the requirements of public health. The decision must specify the appointments and procedures to be followed in those cases.

Article 15 Subject to the provisions of the established laws and systems, authorised representatives of the Ministry of Health are entitled to enter residences if deemed necessary to search for persons infected with communicable diseases, to conduct the necessary disinfection or vaccination, to diagnose those who have come into contact with an infected person, or for the purpose of controlling insects and rodents, and they shall show proof of their identity before entering the residences. In order to achieve this, they may be assisted by the competent bodies.

Article 16 The Minister of Health may decide to restrict the treatment of certain cases of the communicable diseases listed in the schedule attached to this law to government treatment facilities, and not have them treated in private clinics or hospitals.

Article 17 Preventive measures decided by the Ministry of Health must be complied with when burying, transporting, or repatriating corpses with a communicable disease listed in the schedule attached to this law determined by a decision by the Minister of Health.

Article 18 Upon the emergence of any epidemic disease threatening public health, the Minister of Health, or whoever he delegates, has exceptional authority to protect the country from the outbreak of the epidemic in agreement with the competent bodies. 5

Article 19 Whoever fails to report a communicable disease in accordance with the provisions of articles 2,3, and 5 of this law will be punished by imprisonment for a period no less than 3 (three) months and not exceeding 1 (one) year, and a fine no less than 1,000 (one thousand) Rial Omani and not exceeding 10,000 (ten thousand) Rial Omani, or one of those two punishments. Whoever violates the provisions of articles 5bis 3, 5bis 4, 5bis 5, 5bis 7, and 5bis 8 of this law will be punished by the same punishment. If an alien is sentenced to a punishment depriving liberty, his deportation from the country must be adjudicated.10

Article 20 With the exception of the cases stipulated in article 19 of this law, whoever violates any of the provisions of this law, or the ministerial decisions implementing it, will be punished by imprisonment for a period no less than 1 (one) month and not exceeding 1 (one) year, and a fine no less than 500 (five hundred) Rial Omani and not exceeding 5,000 (five thousand) Rial Omani, or one of those two punishments. If an alien is sentenced to a punishment depriving liberty, his deportation from the country must be adjudicated.11 10 Amended by Royal Decree 32/2020. 11 ibid. 6 Schedule of Communicable Diseases12 Section I Diseases 1. Cholera. 2. Plague. 3. Yellow fever. 4. Meningococcal infection. 5. Haemophilus influenzae Type-B invasive disease. 6. Rabies. 7. Malaria. 8. Smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Syndromes 1. Acute flaccid paralysis. 2. Fever and rash illness. 3. Congenital rubella. 4. Severe acute respiratory syndrome. 5. Haemorrhagic fevers. 6. Food poisoning of communicable causes. 7. Coronavirus (MER-Cov). 8. Cases threatening public health according to the World Health Organisation classification. 12 Replaced by Minister of Health Decision 127/2013. 7 Section II 1. Typhoid fever. 2. Brucellosis. 3. Pertussis. 4. Tetanus. 5. Hepatitis A. 6. Hepatitis B. 7. Hepatitis C. 8. Hepatitis D communicable hepatitis cases. 9. Hepatitis E. 10. Visceral and cutaneous forms of Leishmaniasis. 11. Bilharziasis. 12. Active trachoma. 13. Bacterial meningitis. 14. Viral meningitis. 15. Acquired immunodeficiency. 16. Smear-negative pulmonary tuberculosis. 17. Extrapulmonary tuberculosis. 18. Leprosy. 8 Section III 1. Influenza and parainfluenza. 2. Mumps. 3. Chickenpox. 4. Respiratory infections for those younger than 15 years of age. 5. Acute diarrhoea for those younger than 15 years of age. 9