DUBAI: Qatar’s cabinet on Wednesday told private sector companies in the state to direct 80 percent of their staff to work from home to help reduce the spread of coronavirus. Effective on Thursday for an initial two weeks, the step allows exceptions in some vital sectors, state news agency QNA reported. These include the military and security, the ministry of foreign affairs and diplomatic missions, health care, oil and gas, plus some government employees and workers on national flagship projects. The working day will be cut to six hours, from 7:00a.m. to 1:00p.m., excluding grocery stores, pharmacies and restaurants. Household cleaning services will be suspended, QNA reported, and the number of workers transported by bus halved. The state also said it has extended the suspension of inbound flights except transit and cargo over coronavirus fears. Qatar extended a lockdown of an industrial area in Doha where authorities reported dozens of cases of the disease, QNA added.