Seven deaths, 751 cases Wednesday
June end to school year eyed ... New year in November
KUWAIT CITY, May 13, (Agencies): The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health has announced 751 new coronavirus (COVID-19) infections in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 11,028, while seven deaths were reported as well, bringing the fatalities’ toll up to 82.
In the daily press briefing, Health Ministry spokesperson Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad said that 169 patients were in intensive care, 77 of them are in critical condition.
Earlier today, the Ministry announced the recovery of patients 162, bringing the total to 3,263 recoveries.
‘Gathering of violators controlled’
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday that a gathering of residency law violators in Farwaniya area was put under control. This came in a press release issued by the ministry’s General Department of Security Relations and Media in response to social media reports on riots and an attack on a policeman at a center for residency law-breakers in Farwaniya.
Some of those lawbreakers came together and tried to assault a policeman while reading out the names of those supposed to be sent back to their own homecountry, according to the statement.
Security forces managed to control the situation immediately by dispersing the protesters and arrested three agitators, it added.
The ministry urged everyone to stick to law and seek news and information from official sources.
End of school year eyed
Ministry of Education is considering taking a decision to end the school year early in June if it is unable to complete the e-learning platform for distance education. It is likely that the new school year will start in November, reports Al-Seyassah daily quoting parliamentary sources.
They revealed an idea currently being discussed in the ministry in terms of canceling the proposal for completion of supplementary semester for the present academic year and moving students to the next grade, especially with indications of continuation of the epidemic. This will include all stages from the first to the eleventh based on a mechanism to be revealed at the appropriate time.
Regarding justifications for this decision, the sources explained, “The ministry cannot equip schools within a month to the end of the crisis, especially since more than 300 schools are not currently in its custody. Those schools have been distributed among the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Interior, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and are being used as health quarantine centers, shelters to house residency violators and storehouses for goods. Making them ready for educational purposes will take a long time as the furniture must be disinfected, sterilized and repaired, and the damaged machinery, equipment and furniture must be repaired or replaced.”
The sources said they expect a similar decision to be issued in the military colleges by the concerned authorities in terms of ending the current academic year.
Suppliers exempted
People supplying foodstuff, vegetables and consumer materials to coops, companies, groceries and pharmacies are exempted from security permission during their transportation from 2:00 am to 10:00 am, reports Al-Rai daily quoting security sources.
The daily did not give more details.
MoI seizes 9 accounts
The Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior said on Wednesday it has registered legal cases against nine news accounts for reporting misinformation and false news.
The move is part of the ministry’s efforts to fight rumors and baseless news reports amid the current extraordinary circumstances due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), the ministry’s General Department of Security Relations and Media said in a statement.
The ministry’s criminal security sector has seized the nine news accounts for publishing false news, according to the statement, warning that any rumormonger would be brought to accountability promptly.
KPA stresses moves
Kuwait Ports Authority has moved immediately following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) in China, said the authority’s chief Wednesday.
Since January, it has issued several announcements and decisions that followed the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), Sheikh Youssef Al-Abdullah said in a statement.
“We have had messages and meetings by using remote communication programs with friendly and sisterly countries to share experience with them in this regard,” he said.
He added that the authority had also communicated with china’s Port of Shanghai, which could overcome the crisis with the least losses. He noted that his authority had done the same thing with the port authorities of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states with a view to working out joint plans to address the crisis.
In addition, the crews of incoming ships were tested for the novel coronavirus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Kuwait Ports Authority’s Director-General affirmed.
All ships were also disinfected eight times a day, and commodities and containers sanitized, with all workers using masks and gloves, he pointed out.
Shortage of academic staff
The Ministry of Education is currently suffering from shortage of academic staff, reports Al-Anba daily quoting informed sources from the educational sector.
Indicating the ministry needs more than 700 teachers in all academic levels; sources disclosed the specializations needed include Arabic, English, French, Mathematics, Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Decoration and Music.
Sources pointed out that it will be difficult to resume the recruitment of teachers from abroad next year, even if things return to normal.
Sources affirmed the ministry is working hard to focus on local recruitment to address the shortage of academic staff, while excluding the idea of opening new schools under the current circumstances.
Sources added the ministry is also facing a problem in the renovating the schools being used by some authorities – more than 370 schools; stressing it needs time and funds to complete the renovation works.