Originally Posted by
ORD_UA1K
Perhaps that's a guideline, but it's not a rule. I met a friend for coffee at a hotel not far from the airport on a 4 hour layover in Doha in November 2018. The immigration official asked me a few questions but stamped me in to Qatar.
It's entirely possible it is the rule, and these exceptions are breaches of the rule based on discretion - but exceptions are discretionary and don't mean the rule doesn't exist.