Arrivals six of 13 new virus cases
Government calls for disregarding rumors
KUWAIT CITY, March 26, (KUNA): Kuwait has confirmed 13 new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases during the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 208, said the Health Ministry on Thursday.
During a press conference, the ministry’s spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said that six cases are of citizens who recently arrived from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, France and one case still under investigation. Furthermore, the other seven cases for people who were in contact with previous infected patients. The Spokesman revealed that out of the 208 cases, 49 of them have recovered and 159 are still receiving treatment. He indicated that there are seven cases still in the ICU. Some 853 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 Interior Ministry said 306 citizens returned home Wednesday as part of a plan to bring back nationals from abroad due to spread of coronavirus, while 611 expatriates and Gulf nationals left for their home countries.
Three planes carrying a total of 306 Kuwaiti citizens coming from Lebanon, Egypt and Bahrain – three nations with coronavirus cases – arrived at Kuwait International Airport which is part of the first phase due until next Sunday, March 29, the ministry said in a statement. It added 195 Kuwaitis came from Egypt, 74 from Lebanon and 37 from Bahrain.
They were all tested in airport facilities specially erected for this purpose and then taken to compulsory quarantine.
The ministry meanwhile said 611 non-Kuwaitis left the country for their home countries after they completed preventive measures.
It said 342 Egyptians, 254 Filipinos and 15 Bahraini nationals were on board planes that took them back to their countries.
Disregard rumors
The Kuwaiti Government on Wednesday urged people of the country to disregard rumors and fabricated video clips, amid the current crisis emanating from the spreading novel coronavirus.
Tareq Al-Merzem, the government spokesperson, speaking at a news conference at Seif Palace, said spreading rumors and unfounded reports intensified over the past 48 hours.
“Help us to stop dissemination of the rumors ... along with fabricated video clips promoting wrong information ... do not forward these erroneous materials,” said the official spokesman.
Asked how authorities will secure delivery of necessities to the people in case full curfew was enforced, he indicated that the government emergency team was still discussing the matter with representatives of cooperative societies and supermarkets to find delivery mechanism.
Al-Merzem reiterated on the people of Kuwait, in case of full lockdown, to abstain from excessive shopping and consumption of food and other necessary goods, “until the situation improved.”
Returnees quarantined
The squad of the National Guard securing quarantines received on Wednesday a number of citizens who were flown back from Lebanon, Egypt and Bahrain.
The NG said in a statement that the repatriated citizens were quarantined at the resorts of Al-Joan and Seashell and would remain at the secured locations to ensure they are free of the coronavirus.
A number of senior officers were present upon arrival of the returned citizens.
Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser AlMohammad Al-Sabah said, Wednesday, the success of repatriating citizens from abroad depended on effectiveness of the national efforts to fend off the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking at a press conference held in Seif Palace on the government efforts to combat the spread of the coronavirus, Foreign Minister Dr Ahmad AlNasser Al-Sabah said that the first phase of repatriation occurred today with citizens being brought back from Egypt, Lebanon and Bahrain.
Commenting on the process of repatriation, he indicated that countries where Kuwaitis are situated were divided into three criteria including countries where the disease was out of control such as Italy and Spain, nations where the disease was increasingly spreading such as the UK and Egypt and finally the GCC countries.
The success of repatriation all depended on how well the national plan to counter coronavirus was working, reaffirmed Sheikh Dr Ahmad Al-Nasser who urged the people of the country to band together in order to bring Kuwaitis back home.
Dr Ahmad Al-Nasser indicated that Kuwaiti diplomatic missions were working throughout the day and night to bring Kuwaitis back.
During the press conference, the Foreign Minister displayed a graph where Kuwaitis were located throughout the world, stressing that their return will be conducted in a manner that was appropriate and in line with what developments were occurring any given time.
The national carrier Kuwait Airways and Kuwaiti airliner Al-Jazeera will be the main transporters of repatriated nationals situated in some 11 countries, he said.
His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is keen on order for return of Kuwaiti nationals and also, at the same time, adamant on making sure that Kuwaiti missions abroad would attend to the needs of citizens where-ever they are.
He implored the increasing number of Kuwaitis seeking assistance abroad to contact the country’s diplomatic missions, providing them with necessary data and information to facilitate their return home.
The Foreign Minister also encouraged Kuwaiti citizens to follow upon rules and regulations of their respect host nations, saying that it was paramount to aid the global fight against the coronavirus.
Sheikh Dr Ahmad Al-Nasser took the chance at the end of the conference to thank Jordan for providing provisions to Kuwaitis during the curfew imposed in the Kingdom.
14 stores closed
Ministry of Trade and Industry announced Thursday the closure 14 of commercial stores that did not abide by the law and precautionary measures in combating the spread of coronavirus.
In a statement, the ministry said that its inspection teams monitored 238 cooperative societies, popular markets, commercial stores, and vegetable stand-alone shops to determine the extent of their commitment to new regulations and to maintain the stability of product prices.
The ministry noted that inspection teams also monitored 38 catering branches to ensure the smooth flow of sales deals, in addition to eight automatic bakeries that belong to Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company.
The statement added that its emergency center had received 422 complaints via their hotline No. 135, in addition to the issuance of 204 renew ration cards.
The Ministry underlined the importance of adhering to laws due to the exceptional circumstances that the country is going through.