Full curfew today at 4 pm until May 30
Two hours of exercise allowed daily in residential areas from 4:30 to 6:30 pm
KUWAIT CITY, May 9, (KUNA): Kuwait government decided Friday to impose a full curfew as of 4:00 pm Sunday (May 10) until May 30, as part of measures to stem spread of COVID-19, but would only allow people to exercise for two hours a day inside their areas and without cars being used.
The government, in a live video call chaired by his Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled AlHamad Al-Sabah, decided to limit issuance of curfew permits for people working in vital departments, Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh said in a statement.
It formed emergency teams in the six Governorates to follow up implementation of curfew and deal with emergency cases, said Al-Saleh, also Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs.
The government gave people a grace period between 4:30-6:30 pm every day to exercise inside residential areas but without use of cars. They, however, need to wear masks and abide by physical distancing, said Al-Saleh.
He said only necessary government departments would be working, stopping of operation of private sector unless contractors determined by the Cabinet, stopping home deliveries with exception of cooperative societies, food stores and pharmacies. Al-Saleh also said live interview by media outlets would be suspended to be replaced by online interviews.
Distribution of newspapers and media publications will be halted too.
The government hoped the public would abide by the full curfew and comply with health authorities’ instructions, foremost staying at home, avoid crowds, physical distancing and the use of masks.
This compliance, said AlSaleh, would contribute to curbing and ultimately elimination of the virus, which would allow gradual reopening and return of normal life.
Meanwhile, the government assigned the Public Investment Authority to hand over Al-Khiran Resort to the Ministry of Health to be used as a field hospital.
It instructed the MoH to hand over the remaining quantity of masks it received from Ministry of Commerce and Industry to the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the latter would be distributing them to the cooperative societies to be sold by 100 fils per mask.
The government urged all people to wear any type of masks in all public areas, shopping centers and work places.
The MoH will instruct pharmacies to provide masks for the public, said Al-Saleh.
Meanwhie, people who were renting from ministries and government departments will be exempted from payment of the lease during these exceptional times.
The government, on the other hand, thanked the team that accomplished the repatriation plan of Kuwaiti citizens between April 19 and May 6, a plan that was conducted upon instructions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber AlSabah.
Co-ops to continue services
Kuwait Minister of Social Affairs Maryam Al-Aqeel said cooperate societies, ration supply branches and gas cylinder distributors would continue offering services during a full curfew.
Al-Aqeel, also Minister of State for Economic Affairs, called on the public to abide by the health instructions while shopping.
Al-Aqeel, at an online news conference following an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, said people could do online booking for shopping at cooperative societies, which should be once a week by one person only.
She added people who live in areas with no cooperative societies could shop in neighboring areas.
Kuwait reports 415 cases
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health reported, Saturday, 415 new coronavirus infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the tally to 7,623. Deaths reached 49 with two new cases.
The ministry official Spokesperson, Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad, said in a statement to KUNA that among the infected cases, discovered in past 24 hours, there were 92 Egyptians, 89 Indians, 86 Kuwaitis and 51 Bengali.
Densely populated districts Al-Farwaniyah and Hawally were on top as to number of cases. The first had 172 and the second 108, in addition to AlAssimah 60, Al-Ahmadi 48 and Al-Jahraa 27.
Dr Al-Sanad revealed that 95 patients remained in intensive care units, adding that the overall number of infected persons who continued to receive medical care reached 4,952.
Up to 556 patients were discharged from quarantine in past 24 hours but would subject themselves to house isolation for 14 days, Dr Al-Sanad said.
Earlier Saturday, Kuwait’s Health Ministry announced the recovery of 156 people from the coronavirus, bringing the tally to 2,622.
‘MoH can contain patients’
Meanwhile, Kuwait Ministry of Health is capable of receiving and isolating coronavirus patients who do not show symptoms while they are in mandatory quarantine, the Minister said.
“At this stage we can provide mandatory quarantine for coronavirus patients,” Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah told an online news conference following an extraordinary Cabinet meeting, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
MoH is placing those patients in mandatory quarantine in order to lessen spead of spread of the virus, he said.
Sheikh Dr Bassel said 50 percent of infectees did not show symptoms thus their presence in hospitals were not required, so they were sent to mandatory quarantine facilities.
Sheikh Dr Bassel said the full curfew became a necessity in order to confront the pandemic.
He said preparations for the full curfew began on April 6, urging citizens and expatriates to cooperate with government authorities in order to bring about success to the objectives of the curfew.
‘Cooperate with authorities’
Kuwait Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh urged citizens and expatriates to cooperate with security authorities towards implementing a full curfew “for their own safety.”
Al-Saleh, at an online news conference following a Cabinet meeting, said “we are in the last phase of these measures and it is the full curfew, which will extend until after Eid Al-Fitr.”
This will be followed “by gradual return to normal life, and by then the health authorities will have completed all necessary tests and deal with this disease,” said Al-Saleh.
Al-Saleh said those working in the vital facilities like health, security, electricity and water, oil and municipality will be given permits to move during curfew.
Private sector companies that deal with electricity, refineries, oil and health sectors will be allowed to operate, said Al-Saleh. ‘Violating expats will be deported’ Expatriates who are in violation of residency law will be deported at the expense of their sponsors, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh said.
Al-Saleh was speaking before a Cabinet meeting, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.
The government will not pay for the deportation of the violating expatriates, said Al-Saleh, because it would be at the expense of the sponsors of those persons, a statement by the Cabinet said.
The Ministry of Interior allowed expatriates who are in violation of the residency law to leave the country without paying any fines. Those expatriates of different nationalities came forward for registration centers during April and the deportation process already began.