New COVID cases total 909
MoE gears up
KUWAIT CITY, June 25, (Agencies): The Ministry of Health announced on Thursday 909 new infections of the coronavirus (COVID-19), raising the total to 42,788. Deaths reached 339 with the addition of two fatalities.
Official spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said in a press conference that the 909 infections included 479 Kuwaitis and 430 non-Kuwaitis.
Currently, there are 152 patients receiving treatment at intensive care wards, Dr Al-Sanad revealed.
The health authorities conducted 3,286 swabs in the past 24 hours, raising the whole count to 368,510, Dr Al-Sanad added.
Earlier, the Health Ministry announced the recovery of 558 people from the coronavirus, bringing the tally to 33,367.
The Ministry of Education, through the General Services Department, is planning to obtain permits for cleaning workers residing in areas that are institutionally isolated, enabling them to join their coworkers who resumed their work in the ministry’s headquarters and educational zones for cleaning the buildings prior to Sunday when the government agencies are likely to resume work, reports Al-Rai daily.
Sterilization campaign
According to a source from the educational sector, a clean-up and sterilization campaign will be held, starting with the ministry’s headquarters and educational zones, and will cover the 366 schools used by government agencies. The sterilization campaign will begin as soon as the schools are handed over on July 15.
The source affirmed that shortage of cleaning workers is temporary, and the number currently available can fulfill the purpose.
He assured that there is no health fear regarding the cleaners, as they have been subjected to tests, and are committed to the necessary health requirements.
The source highlighted that the cleaners, during their working hours, will be mandated to wear face masks, and will also be subjected to thermal scanning on an ongoing basis, adding that the services departments in the educational zones will constantly monitor them to ensure their safety and make sure they do not have any pathological symptoms.
He explained that the cleaners have not started their work yet at the ministry’s headquarters or educational zones, except for the cleaners who are working under the ministry’s contracts.
Work in some sectors has been ongoing since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. These sectors include the financial and administrative sectors, and some departments of student activities such as scout management, which formed work teams to supervise the sterilization mechanism in the building. Necessary quantities of cleaning and sterilization tools were provided so that this labor force can perform its work in the ministry buildings without obstacles.
It is worth mentioning that some of the educators in the ministry had warned, via the daily, of a major crisis awaiting the resumption of work in terms of the cleaners who work in the ministry under the contracts of private companies. Most of them are marginal workers who were not subject to medical tests. The educators expressed their fear and concern about this labor force that “roams around in crowded areas and yet goes to work in government facilities.”
Education platform
Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Saud AlHarbi and Assistant Undersecretary for Public Education Affairs Osama Al-Sultan recently met with the directors of educational zones and secondary schools at the Ministry of Education theater, reports Al-Rai daily.
During the meeting, Dr AlHarbi emphasized the role of Ministry of Education in establishing the education platform, focusing on some basic issues, such as responsibility, participation and cooperation, which comes from the standpoint of national responsibility for all employees of the ministry in terms of technical guidance and the managers of all educational zones.