Partial curfew a step to protect society: political & legal experts
‘Everyone must follow State’s advice as it is in interest of public’
Al-Saleh, also Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, urged security forces to deal decisively with anyone violating the curfew.
Al-Saleh commended the security forces in enforcing the curfew, which ultimately aimed at preserving wellbeing of public.
Al-Saleh warned earlier that anyone caught breaching the curfew will be jailed for up to three years and fined KD 10,000 pursuant to Civil Defense Law.
Elderly considered
Al-Saleh said the security institution takes into consideration conditions of elderly people and persons with disabilities while issuing permits to exempt them from restrictions relating to curfew.
Al-Saleh, who doubles as head of the interagency civil defense committee, reminded all personnel of the security institution of the need to make life easier for those people, according to a press release from the Interior Ministry’s Public Relations and Security Media Department.
He made the comments after making an inspection tour at the security waivers center in Al-Adan neighborhood. He was accompanied by Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Lt-Gen Esam Al-Nahham.
They were briefed on the regulations set for issuing security permits regarding the persons entitled for these waivers and operating system of the center as well as the controls on movement of individuals during the partial 11-hour curfew.
The minister commended the preparedness of security personnel to deal with the current emergency, appreciating the cooperation shown by everybody, the statement added.
DM meets top officials
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Ahmad Mansour Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah discussed on Sunday with top officials package of measures that have been enforced in the country against the novel pandemic, coronavirus.
Minister Sheikh Ahmad Mansour met with Interior Undersecretary Major General Essam Al-Naham, Undersecretary of the National Guard Lieutenant General Hashim AlRifai and
Director General of Kuwait’s Fire Service Directorate (KFSD) Lieutenant General Khaled Al-Mekrad, discussing precautions that have been taken in implementation of the Cabinet decisions to face spread of coronavirus.
The army said in a statement that the officials discussed during the meeting coordination and joint action by the ministries of defense and interior, the guards and the fire department, as part of the fight against the pandemic.
Sheikh Ahmad was briefed during the meeting about measures taken by the various security sectors to back up all state departments in the emergency situation.
The discussions also dealt with preparing new quarantines.
One more case
Kuwait on Monday confirmed one new coronavirus case during the past 24 hours, said the Health Ministry.
During a press conference, the ministry’s spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said that
KUWAIT CITY, March 23: Several political and legal activists supported implementation of the partial curfew in Kuwait in order to curb the spread of coronavirus, stressing the importance of everyone adhering to this decision in order to protect them and the society from this epidemic, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
In an investigation conducted by the daily, they said Kuwait is considered one of the best countries in the world in taking precautionary measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus and this is confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Therefore, everyone must follow the State’s advice as it is in the interest of the public.
Former minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Fahad Al-Shoula supported the curfew under these circumstances. He indicated that in 1991 after the liberation of Kuwait, a curfew was imposed immediately and it was customary to hear about the ‘curfew’ in conditions of wars and occupation; as well as the situation of insecurity, while the regimes usually resort to such a step in a bid to maintain security. He stressed that today the free world is the first to resort to this option to protect the people from this epidemic, believing that the option of imposing the ban made by the esteemed Cabinet to protect society from the spread of the epidemic and the lack of commitment of some people to official instructions, which created fear of spread of the epidemic as a result of gatherings and failure to comply with health guidelines.
Partial
Economist Hajjaj Boukhdhour agreed on imposition of the partial curfew to prevent further infection of the coronavirus, saying: “I support this step and I have been hoping to implement it since the beginning of the disruption of schools and work.”
In a related development, former minister and legal practitioner Ali Al-Baghli disagrees with application of the unprecedented curfew, as he sees it as unjustified. He indicated that regardless of whether the decision is in line with the Constitution or not, he sees it as an incorrect direction, especially since Kuwait is the first in the world in taking such a measure to address this health disaster that is unprecedented in contemporary times.
Media personality Faisal Dahham Al-Harbi stated that Kuwait resorted to a curfew for the benefit of citizens and expatriates and for the return of the children of Kuwait from abroad. He declared that according to statistics issued by the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs; there are 60,000 Kuwaitis outside Kuwait who are either scholarship students, tourists or patients on medical treatment, and if there is no health stability, it will be difficult for them to return home. He reiterated that this step is in the right direction, especially as all Kuwaiti procedures are 100 percent sound.
An exceptional circumstance
Attorney Salem Al-Kandari says, “Kuwait lives an exceptional circumstance like the rest of the world, so it is beneficial that the partial curfew will start from five in the evening until four in the morning.” He urged all citizens and expatriates to respect decisions and laws of the State as these are in the best interest of everyone. He added the curfew was imposed in accordance with Article 15 of the Civil Defense Law that the penalty for violating the partial ban is three years imprisonment or KD10,000 fine. He pointed out that these penalties are not to intimidate people to impose a preventive curfew as it is a precautionary measure, hoping that parents will ensure their children do not violate the curfew.
Kuwaiti ace journalist Meshari
Al-Aswad stated that this curfew is considered the first in Kuwait, pointing out that it came at the appropriate time for the safety of everyone. He asserted the State is implementing firm measures and decisions that are in the interest of the country and citizens. He added that compliance with these decisions will be for the safety of individuals, their families and their social environment to eliminate the virus faster. It is meant to combat this epidemic that constitutes a crisis which humanity has not witnessed for hundreds of years, concluding that “commitment is safety for all.”
The Amiri Hospital announced the provision of remote communication service to respond to all medical-related questions from the public, reports Al-Rai daily.
The hospital will do this through its official social media accounts, while a video clip was uploaded on its website explaining how to activate this service. The hospital said that by pressing the link of the service posted on its official social media accounts, it is easy to move to the service website to create a file by entering the civil ID
number, mobile number, email and the code; then press the word ‘register’. After that, a message will be shown affirming the file is successfully created to facilitate communication with the hospital and conversing with the concerned department.
Also, Deputy Director of AlAmiri Hospital Dr Afrah Al-Sarraf announced that Amiri Hospital has “launched its official website for the public to easily access its services” via www.amirihospital.com, reports Al-Rai daily.
In a statement, Al-Sarraf added the new Al-Amiri Hospital extension has capacity for 320 beds and with medical departments, including 30 internal clinics, 25 surgical clinics, 5 pediatric clinics, 4 urology clinics, in addition to departments for physiotherapy and radiology.
He affirmed that the hospital is participating in the activities of the global blood donation campaign, noting the hospital has a special department for blood donation that contribute to increase the strategic blood by receiving donors, and “we aim through the campaign to increase awareness among auditors and the public”.