COVID-19 ‘under control’
Two new cases ... total 191; nine recoveries
KUWAIT CITY, March 24: Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah has assured the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in Kuwait is manageable.
The ministry is monitoring on daily basis some cases of those who had contacted infected people, Sheikh Basel said in an extraordinary Cabinet meeting held Monday at Dar Salwa under the chairmanship of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah.
He pointed out that the total number of infections in the country jumped Monday to 189 cases after registering a new case.
A total of 30 of the infected people have completely recovered and left hospitals, he said, noting that there are 10 others who are about to complete their treatment and leave hospitals soon.
The minister, however, warned that the crisis might worsen in the coming two months as the pandemic is still spreading across the world.
After these two months, the number of new infections is expected to slow down before taking a downward curve, he projected.
Sheikh Basel said that Kuwait is ready to secure any vaccine for the deadly virus once it becomes available.
Kuwait has secured malaria and HID medicines, which are used to help suppress symptoms of the infection, he unveiled.
His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled AlSabah stressed the importance Tuesday of learning from the lessons and painful scenes that we all are witnessing in many countries as a result of the spread of coronavirus, stressing on the need for everyone to continue to cooperate with the government to protect public health in Kuwait.
“We are closing on the first month since the start of the crisis and we are now in the second month, and we all know that we are facing a crisis that does not have a specific time limit, and we must continue with our preventive measures to protect public health in Kuwait from this dangerous pandemic,” Sheikh Sabah in a speech during a Parliament session.
“We should learn from other experiences, and to spare our country from sliding into chaos,” Sheikh Sabah said, calling for a continuing cooperation with all parties involved which are combating COVID-19.
The premier thanked the Kuwaiti people and residents in the country for their cooperation and commitment to health instructions, especially staying indoors and avoiding gatherings.
The premier also praised the support received by the National Assembly during combating this pandemic.
The National Assembly on Tuesday approved bills aimed at enhancing procedures for curbing the spread of coronavirus in the country.
The session started at 9:30 am, during which the MPs warmly greeted HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah while clapping their hands as an expression of their appreciation and satisfaction over the procedures taken by the government in these difficult times.
The Assembly deliberated on the following:
Report No. 21 of the Health Affairs Committee regarding bills on amending Article 17 of Law No. 8 for the year 1969, which stipulates regulations for dealing with infectious diseases. One of these bills was submitted by the government and the other by MPs Safa’a Al-Hashem, Muhammad Al-Dallal, Omar AlTabtabaie, Abdullah Al-Kandari and Al Humaidi Al-Subai’e.
Report No. 31 of the Legislative Affairs Committee about the bill on amending Law No. 38/ 1980 concerning civil and commercial trials submitted by MPs Bader Al-Mullah, Saleh Ashour, Omar Al-Tabtabaie, Khalil Abul and Abdullah Al-Kandari.
The Assembly approved the proposal to amend Article 17 of Law No. 8/1969 as follows:
1. Whoever violates the provisions of this law will be imprisoned for three months maximum and fined KD 5,000 or any of these two penalties.
2. Whoever violates Article 15 of this law will be sentenced to maximum of six months in prison and fined KD 10,000 maximum or any of these two penalties.
3. Whoever is aware that he is suffering from an infectious disease and infect others deliberately will be imprisoned for 10 years maximum and fined KD 30,000 maximum or any of these two penalties.
The Assembly also approved the bill amending Civil and Commercial Trials Law No. 38/1980. The bill is aimed at ensuring justice for all by suspending the grace period for submission of appeals whenever work is suspended in public institutions and minisin tries during disasters, epidemic or pandemic. The bill stipulates that the grace period starts on the first day of resuming work.
Ample stockpiles of food
Earlier, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled has assured that Kuwait has huge and ample stockpiles of food and medicine.
“We have huge food and medicine stocks, but we have to manage it wisely,” he said in an extraordinary Cabinet meeting held Monday at Dar Salwa under the chairmanship of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
His Highness the premier, however, urged rationalization of consumption to avoid squandering these stockpiles. He also noted that the government is counting the number of Kuwaitis abroad and coordinating with the Ministry of Health to prepare for their evacuation and the medical producers which they will undergo upon their arrival.
“We can now say that we are ready for their return soon,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled stressed. He, however, admitted that nobody knows how long this crisis will last and how hard will it be.
Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that the government is taking necessary measures according to the developments to retain the safety of people.
Kuwait now is in this phase of virus containment and the Ministry of Health has conducted tests for enormous number of people and is about to conclude this phase to pave the way for evacuation of Kuwaiti abroad, he clarified.
His Highness prime minister thanked His Highness the Amir for his wise directives, and unlimited backing to the government during this delicate time. He also conveyed the Cabinet’s gratitude to National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanim and all lawmakers for their support to government.
The premier spoke highly about the efforts and sacrifices of the emergency teams in the first and second lines of confrontation against the deadly virus.
He pointed out that the government has put in place the emergency plan from the first day of the coronavirus outbreak, but “we are facing a relentless and ruthless enemy, so our measures should be also ruthless”.
He lauded the cooperation of citizens and residents to implement the preventive measures. His Highness the prime minister also was grateful to the private sector, civil society and ordinary people’s backing to the government.
Two new cases
Kuwait confirmed two new coronavirus cases during the past 24 hours, said the Health Ministry on Tuesday.
At a press conference, the ministry’s spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said that the two cases are related to a Pilipino and an Indian residents who were in contact with patients that arrived from the UK, bringing the number of infections in the country to 191 cases.
The Spokesman revealed that out of the 191 cases, 39 of them have recovered and 152 are still receiving treatment.
He indicated that there are five cases still in the ICU. Some 708 individuals had finished the quarantine period, he affirmed.
The Ministry of Health urged the citizens and residents to abide by all the decisions and recommendations issued by authorities.
Kuwait Minister of Health Dr Bassel ASabah announced Tuesday recovery of nine people who were infected with coronavirus.
Al-Sabah, in a statement to KUNA, said eight males and a female – all Kuwaiti citizens – recovered from the virus. This increased number of recovered people to 39.
Kuwait has been implementing a series of measures aimed at containing spread of COVID-19.