Oman will ease a curfew imposed to combat the spread of COVID-19 by reopening public buildings, malls and restaurants and resuming public events, authorities said on Thursday.

Shops have been closed and commercial activities shuttered between 8:00 pm and 4:00 am since May.

They will reopen on Saturday but then be restricted again between those hours from September 1 to people who have been doubly vaccinated against the virus, a government committee tasked with coordinating efforts against the pandemic said on Twitter.

The committee did not give an explanation for the two-stage process.

Vaccination is also being introduce as a condition for visitors entering Oman, on top of an existing a seven-day quarantine requirement, it added.

COVID-19 infections are decreasing in Oman, with 187 reported per day on average over the past week, according to the Reuters COVID tracker. There have been 300,728 in all, and 4,013 coronavirus-related deaths.