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Dear Qatar Super Stars,

 

I’m not yet used to walking in the office, supermarket, airport and any crowded space without a facemask on. But since Covid-19 is no longer considered a global health emergency, I finally dared to be facemask-free and literally breathe air from both open and closed space, free from the same fear I coped with between 2020 and 2022.  

 

I invite you to walk down the global pandemic memory lane with me.  

 

The emergence of the global pandemic changed everything that had previously been considered normal.  We found ourselves channeling a facemask, gloves, and a face shield in the blink of an eye.  Make-up and branded clothing were no longer necessary, while alcohol and hand sanitizers became the new essentials.

 

Our understanding and awareness of a pandemic increased as we ingested information day by day.  We found ourselves automatically shunning away from the superficial relics in social media and focusing more on what was relevant, i.e. getting ready for the inevitable.

 

In QSS and in our personal lives, we discovered that even at the time of adversity, we can still find opportunities by seeing the situation with a silver lining and allowing positivity to take control.  After all, what choice was remaining?

 

Many large businesses shut down while new small to medium-sized enterprises emerged. The pandemic forced us to stay in the comfort of our homes, which triggered so many entrepreneurial minds, thus, the birth of online selling and service businesses. 

 

In the major business scene, QSS managed to stay afloat throughout that extremely challenging three-year period, while many food service companies discontinued operations. We served meals at quarantine facilities and rendered disinfection service in public and private premises. And obviously, we launched effective measures to mitigate the risk of getting potentially 50% of our workforce stricken by the virus. In actual, we were able to limit the number of cases to 14% of the entire workforce across our businesses.  We walked away from Covid-19 as a relevant entity that is prepared to stay against all odds.  

 

In our personal lives, some adjusted their plans, others braved making new life decisions, and the rest just left everything on fate amidst the Covid-19 uncertainties.

 

The fact is a new breed of virus may attack the whole world again, but at least we had survived one and learned significant lessons coping with it.

 

At QSS, we made it through a tumultuous journey and came out victorious. This year, stay with us as we continue our journey in search for new possibilities, with even stronger mitigation plans in place.

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Samir Elbaba

Managing Director