146 citizens transferred to quarantine in first repatriation day: MoH official

19 flights bring in stranded citizens

KUWAIT CITY, April 21, (KUNA): The Ministry of Health said Monday 146 citizens who were repatriated yesterday were transferred to mandatory quarantine while the remaining 2,933 were sent to home quarantine.

Six persons were transferred to Jaber AlAhmad Hospital because medical workers testing incoming passengers at the airport suspected that they have coronavirus symptoms, MoH’s Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Affairs Dr. Abdulrahman AlMutairi said.

Al-Mutairi, also the supervisor on medical testing facilities at Kuwait International Airport, said four cases were transferred to different hospitals to continue their treatment they were undergoing abroad.

Al-Mutairi said 3,089 Kuwaiti citizens were repatriated on 27 flights yesterday.

This is the first phase of the repatriation that will last until tomorrow.

Meanwhile, General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said 19 flights brought hundreds of citizens back home on Monday, the second day of a repatriation plan aimed at bringing back nationals amidst spread of coronavirus.

The second day of a three-day plan included Arab and European capitals and cities, DGCA said in a statement.

It said 19 flights brought citizens from Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Manama, Cairo, Amman and London.

Kuwait Airways operated 10 flights while Jazeera Airways operated nine flights.

President of DGCA Sheikh Salman AlSabah had said earlier in the day the second phase of repatriation plan would start on Thursday and lasts for three days.

The second phase will include following destinations: Amman, Casablanca, Nouakchott, Istanbul, Vienna, Alexandria, Cairo, New York, Brussels, London, Paris, Manila, Bangkok, Dakar, Tunis, Malta, Beirut, Tbilisi, Baku, Mumbai, Delhi, Sarajevo and Amsterdam.