Major co-ops say fully prepared for total curfew

‘Ready to work, deliver products and packages during this period’

KUWAIT CITY, April 7: In the event of the issuance of a sovereign decision to impose a total curfew in the country the major cooperative societies have indicated readiness through the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies to close their markets completely, simulating efforts of the Ministry of Health and relevant agencies to stop the coronavirus pandemic and putting up a strong barrier with relevant authorities to prevent the situation from getting out of control, reports Al-Anba daily.

One of the heads of the cooperative societies confirmed their readiness for such an approach with the completion of the partial ban, which will be a qualitative “lifeline” that suffices the country and prevent people from unjustified exit from their homes and body contact within the cooperatives, central markets, and other sales outlets.

Cooperative societies have announced their full readiness to implement the total ban and take a series of measures by raising their recommendations to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor to completely close their markets and branches. They affirmed readiness to work and deliver products and packages during this period to fully fulfill their responsibilities, indicating all possible scenarios are being prepared and they hope concerned authorities will take supportive decisions.

This step became necessary after the Director General of Kuwait Municipality Engineer Ahmed AlManfouhi issued a decision to close the fish and meat markets in front of consumers, which has caused wide-spread reactions, most notably from the owners of stalls who express surprise at the issuance of the decision without looking at the reality and difficult situation of the traders and pressures mounting on them by landlords who want rents, whether there is work or the stalls remain closed.