Year: 2021
We, Haitham bin Tarik, the Sultan of Oman
after perusal of the Basic Statute of the State,
Royal Decree 50/80 Establishing Petroleum Development Oman Limited Liability Company,
the Social Insurance Law promulgated by Royal Decree 72/91,
Royal Decree 3/93 Establishing the Royal Guard of Oman Pension Fund,
Royal Decree 6/93 Establishing the Royal Office Pension Fund,
Royal Decree 87/93 Establishing the Ministry of Defence Pension Fund,
Royal Decree 7/94 Establishing the Internal Security Service Pension Fund,
Royal Decree 101/94 Establishing the Sultan’s Special Force Pension Fund,
the Banking Law promulgated by Royal Decree 114/2000,
the System of the Administrative Apparatus of the State promulgated by Royal Decree 75/2020,
and in pursuance of public interest,
have decreed as follows
Article I
A fund named the “Social Protection Fund” is hereby established. It shall have legal personality, shall enjoy financial and administrative independence, and shall be subordinate to the Council of Ministers. Its system shall be issued by a royal decree.
Article II
A fund named the “Military and Security Services Pension Fund” is hereby established. It shall have legal personality, shall enjoy financial and administrative independence, and shall be subordinate to the Council of Ministers. Its system shall be issued by a royal decree.
Article III
The committee formed by a decision of the Council of Ministers shall supervise the setting of the necessary controls and complete all procedures relating to transferring the tasks, competences, assets, rights, obligations, holdings, and financial liabilities of each of the Civil Service Employees Pension Fund, the Public Authority for Social Insurance, the Royal Guard of Oman Pension Fund, the Royal Office Pension Fund, the Internal Security Service Pension Fund, the Sultan’s Special Force Pension Fund, the Omani Employees of the Diwan of Royal Court Pension Fund, the Royal Oman Police Pension Fund, the Ministry of Defence Pension Fund, the Employees of the Central Bank of Oman Pension Fund, and the Employees of Petroleum Development Oman Pension Fund, to the two funds stipulated in article I and article II of this decree, as the case may be.
The aforementioned committee shall also undertake the setting of controls and procedures for restructuring the systems for pension and social protection, preparing the drafts of the fund systems stipulated in articles I and II of this decree, and preparing a social protection draft law that includes the pension systems to be applied to all employees and workers, and the provisions relating to the social protection system, within 12 (twelve) months from the date of the issuance of this decree.
Article IV
The boards of directors of the pension funds and the aforementioned Public Authority for Social Insurance and its executive management shall continue to exercise their tasks in accordance with the controls and procedures approved by the committee stipulated in article III of this decree.
Article V
The minimum years of service required for optional retirement entitlement in all applicable laws, systems, and regulations shall be 30 (thirty) years of service, and this provision shall not apply to those who have completed 20 (twenty) years of service on the date of the issuance of the Social Protection Law.
Article VI
The employees transferred under the royal decrees relating to the restructuring of the administrative apparatus of the state, who completed two-thirds of the contribution period required for pension entitlement on the date those decrees came into force shall continue to be treated in accordance with the provisions of the pension laws, systems, and regulations to which they are subject before their transfer. Their contributions shall be paid and their rights shall be settled in accordance with the same provisions, without prejudice to the provision of article V of this decree.
Article VII
All that is contrary to this decree, or in conflict with its provisions, is hereby repealed.
Article VIII
This decree shall be published in the Official Gazette and comes into force on the date of its issuance, with the exception of article VI, which shall come into force on the date of the issuance of the royal decrees relating to the restructuring of the administrative apparatus of the state.
Issued on: 24 Sha’ban 1442
Corresponding to: 7 April 2021
Haitham bin Tarik
Sultan of Oman
Published in Official Gazette 1387 issued on 11 April 2021.
Note: The following text is a public domain translation published by the Official OmanVsCovid19 Twitter account.
Statement of the Supreme Committee
Within its continuous sessions held to evaluate recent developments of COVID-19 in the Sultanate, the Supreme Committee has decided to exempt Omanis arriving in the Sultanate through land, sea or air boarders from mandatory institutional quarantine, but should undergo a home-based isolation, together with other procedures imposed on all arrivals in the Sultanate. Consequently, they will not need to provide proof of a hotel booking for 7 nights, or a guarantee letter which specifies details of the arrangements being made in accordance with the institutional quarantine requirements, provided that this decision comes into effect from today.
Note: The following text is a public domain translation published by the Official OmanVsCovid19 Twitter account.
Statement of the Supreme Committee
The Supreme Committee on Covid-19 has taken the following decisions:
– Extending closure of all commercial activities, while allowing movement of individuals and vehicles in all governorates of the Sultanate, between 8 pm and 5 am, starting from Thursday 8 April (25 Shaaban 1442 AH) till the morning of the first day of Ramadhan.
– Nighttime ban throughout Ramadhan on all commercial activities, movement of individuals and vehicles from 9 pm till 4 am.
– No Taraweeh prayers in any mosques.
– Total ban of all gatherings, like iftar-sa’im, in mosques and other places like tents or public assembling areas (sabla or anything else).
– Ban on all group activities—social, sports, cultural or any other collective activities during the month of Ramadhan.
– Entry to the Sultanate will be restricted only to Omani citizens and residency holders with effect from 12 pm of Thursday 25 Shaaban 1442, 8 April 2021.
Note: The following text is a public domain translation published by the Official OmanVsCovid19 Twitter account.
Statement of the Supreme Committee
Within its continuous sessions held to follow up the recent developments of COVID-19 in the Sultanate, the Supreme Committee has looked over the reports of epidemiological investigation in schools, which have shown an increase in the number of cases registered among the administrative and educational staff and students in private and international schools as a result of transmission of the pandemic among the community members, and the failure of some schools to take necessary preventive measures, prominently failure to disclose COVID-19 symptoms or coming in contact with positive cases. Hence, seeking to contain the spread of the virus, the Supreme Committee has decided to suspend in-person school attendance of students in private and international schools, while confining their access to education only through remote learning methods, except for grade 12 students to be treated equally just as in government schools, provided that this decision comes into effect from Sunday, April 4th 2021 until further notice.
And because of the dangerous rise of cases across the Sultanate in this period, the Supreme Committee decided to suspend official and community-level sports activities, starting from tomorrow Thursday, 1st of April 2021 until further notice.
The Supreme Committee also decided to reduce the attendance of employees and other public legal persons required to attend in workplaces in the units of the state’s administrative apparatus to 50% only, provided that the employees who do not attend to workplaces perform the work assigned to them remotely, effective Sunday 4th of April 2021 until further notice.