(Bloomberg) -- Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health will eliminate the need for visitors to take a pre-flight test for coronavirus as the country prepares to welcome as many as 1.2 million foreigners during next month’s soccer World Cup.

The government will also drop a requirement for visitors and people who live in Qatar to download a covid-tracking application called Ehteraz and display proof of their covid-free status in order to enter indoor spaces around the country. Instead, the app will only be needed to enter healthcare facilities. 

The new rules, which go into effect on Nov. 1, will also end a requirement for residents and citizens to take a test within 24 hours of returning to the country.

Next month’s World Cup will be the first major global sporting event since the pandemic after Winter and Summer Olympics were transformed by restrictions to stop the spread of the illness. The ministry’s changes will make it easier to facilitate fans’ entry and exit from the country.

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