‘Zonal curfew must be applied’
‘Real battle with corona has just begun’
“TODAY, the State of Kuwait is confronting the corona epidemic, and all of the above was merely a field and logistical preparation for these critical and terrifying moments that Kuwait is experiencing today,” columnist Dahem Al-Qahtani wrote for Al-Qabas.
“Many countries give up receiving their citizens who are living in the country in violation of the residence law and the inability of the Kuwaiti government to force those countries to do so, and before that allowing tens of thousands to enter the country at the start of the corona crisis which is deemed as the first of its kind since the people of Kuwait face the biggest crisis that threatens them since the heathenish Iraqi invasion of the country.
“However, up to the time of writing this article, official reports show Kuwait has 4,619 cases of corona virus and of them Kuwaitis constitute about 17 percent and yet the capacity of the Kuwaiti health system has almost reached its full capacity.
“Most of those infected mainly belong to three nationalities – Indian, Egyptian and Bangladeshis – and this means they make as much as 60 percent of all the infected persons.
“According to the current rates of infections based on the same policy, the application of what is known as the banned ‘herd immunity’ will inevitably be applied, otherwise the health system will inevitably collapse, not only to ‘corona’ patients, but to all patients, and here is the most dangerous warning, which is that patients with diseases other than corona die quickly.
“However, does this mean that the Kuwaiti government will abandon treatment for residents if they are infected with the coronavirus, and focus on the Kuwaiti people only?
“Of course not, this pattern is currently applied in most countries of the world, and among the three countries whose patients constitute 66 percent of the patients of ‘Corona’ in Kuwait, certainly will not be followed here, we are Muslims and Arabs, and we have a great deal of mercy and humanity.
“But there are many alternatives that must be followed immediately to prevent the collapse of the health system in Kuwait, the first of which is: converting the issue of some countries’ refusal to receive their citizens into a political issue by addressing the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and clarifying that the Kuwaiti health system is no longer able to cope with the 83 percent of resident patients, and these countries should be told to receive their citizens immediately.
“Apart from the above, we suggest entertaining the ‘coronavirus’ patients by the local health centers, must be reviewed in a manner the Kuwaitis and a specific segment of the expatriates only will be allowed to have access to these centers, while the remaining patients should be followed through the ‘Shlonik’ system introduced by the country and entertain the patient who may reach a critical phase.
“On the field, we suggest the concerned authorities should hasten to apply the zonal curfew which must be expanded to include employment areas, especially in Kuwait City and the areas of Mangaf, Fahaheel, Khaitan and Farwaniya, and assign these tasks to the Kuwaiti army and the National Guard.
“Meanwhile, we call for not allowing the gathering of people at Diwaniyas or at any other place to mark any occasion. In other words, the partial curfew must be firmly applied.
“In conclusion, we say our real battle has just begun, so all officials must devote themselves to their tasks and focus on the most important issues, and let some officials search for media polishing; indeed, simply because this is not the high time for the latter.”
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Al-Qahtani
“China officially announced the end of the ‘climax’ of the outbreak of the corona epidemic on its soil, two days after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus, and his meeting with medical personnel there, in a clear indication and a media message indicating the extent of his country’s control of the disease which was almost on the verge of annihilating the nation,” columnist Zayed Al-Zaid wrote for Annahar daily.
“But China’s success in stopping the escalation of the disease – until now – should not go unnoticed and our government must benefit from the Chinese lesson in the short and long term.
“Perhaps the most important lesson that can be learned from the Chinese experience with this disease is the speed of implementing decisions and not hesitating in taking them. As soon as the virus spread in Wuhan the Chinese authorities rushed to build a hospital equipped with medical personnel in just 8 days and this hospital contributed to stopping the escalation of the disease very significantly.
“Another lesson is the strict determination in the face of this disease. The Chinese authorities did not care about Chinese merchants or businessmen who will be partially affected by the disruption of factories or commercial establishments.
“This is because the Chinese authorities enjoy a great deal of awareness and know that the merchant’s profit at the expense of the nation’s health will destroy the nation and the merchants together in long run, therefore, it disrupted the country and imposed a total curfew on cities in which millions of people live and there was not the slightest breach of curfew.
“It also mandated volunteer teams to monitor the streets to make sure that these are free of people from those who are dealing recklessly with the relevant epidemic and believing that they are roaming around the streets, to show some king of might.
“But the Chinese experience, despite its success, also carries some lessons that can be avoided. Perhaps the most important lesson that can be avoided through the Chinese experience is the lack of transparency within government corridors – at the beginning – due to the fawning of the senior officials and the interference of the political decision in the conduct of health and medical work, which is exactly what happened In the beginnings of the virus before China changed its policy.
“In this context, one may cite the doctor who discovered the virus was held accountable because he ‘confused people’ and politicians who rule the city of Wuhan did not heed his medical warnings, as such these politicians requested him to sign a pledge indicating that he will not repeat what was said by him. This undertaking lasted until the spread of the virus and the death of this doctor as a result of infection.
“However, can we learn the lesson?”
“The proposal to establish a crisis management entity is being circulated among members of the National Assembly. It will be treated as a matter of urgency and will be tabled for discussion in parliamentary committees. This is in preparation for approval of the bill in the next few days and its ratification in the parliamentary session that will be held before the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan,” columnist Abdulmohsen Jouma’a wrote for Al-Jarida daily.
“Despite the good intentions and goals of those who submitted the proposal, I see it as a meaningless draft law as it will just lead to accumulation of administrative organs, employees, assignments, offices and expenses, without any benefit, especially since among the tasks of the National Security Apparatus attached to the Council of Ministers is to coordinate efforts in handling crises, wars and natural disasters.
“Moreover, our experience in handling the corona crisis proved that high ministerial committees, consisting of competent ministers, are efficient and practical in dealing with the crisis.
“Certainly, some lawmakers tried to make an appearance in the midst of the crisis, albeit they went toward the wrong direction or presented ‘auxillary’ proposals, which the late MP Dr Yaqoub Hayati called ‘quick and ill-considered parliamentary proposals’.”
— Compiled by Zaki Taleb
Kuwait Red Crescent Society (KRCS) personnel distributing food parcels to the needy persons.