Kuwait bans visas as another coronavirus case confirmed

Masks, gloves must for cafe workers • Iran deaths hit 54 • Saudi prepares 25 hospitals

KUWAIT: Although only four new coronavirus cases have been discovered over the past three days, Kuwait yesterday stepped up measures to prevent the spread of the deadly diseases, including a total ban on all types of visas for visitors. The National Assembly cancelled a scheduled emergency meeting yesterday in a bid to contain “sectarian exchanges” on social media, and Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said it was premature to decide if the ordinary session on March 10 will also be cancelled. The public food authority has instructed all restaurants and cafes that all waiters must wear facemasks and gloves and that restaurants must provide sanitizers to clients.

The ministry of health said yesterday a new case tested positive in one of the people who returned from Iran and was at the quarantine set up by the ministry, raising the total number of cases to 46, placing Kuwait at the top of Gulf countries in the number of infections. Only new four cases were discovered in the past three days, but MP Adnan Abdulsamad said that a new group of Kuwaitis who were repatriated yesterday have not yet been tested by health ministry staff, raising the prospect of more cases.

The interior ministry yesterday slapped a total ban on all types of visas for all nationalities, only allowing entry to foreigners who hold legal residencies in the country, except those who visited infected countries. Kuwait had cut all transport links to Iran and several other countries as GCC citizens no longer can use their

IDs to travel between Gulf countries and must have their passports.

Kuwait also said people traveling from Egypt to Kuwait will be subjected to medical tests before boarding the plane to the country as a precautionary measure amid rumors that Egypt has many cases of coronavirus but is not announcing them, an accusation that Egyptian authorities have denied. MP Majed Al-Mutairi called on authorities to prepare contingency plans to repatriate Kuwaiti students from Egypt in case Cairo announces a large number of cases.

Ghanem said that he will announce later whether the March 10 session will be held or not, adding that MPs have to be tested for the disease like other people. He said yesterday’s extraordinary session was cancelled to preserve national unity and in order not to engage the health authorities in debates that can be made later, adding that now it’s time to support authorities and after that people who failed to perform will be held to account.

Meanwhile, the novel coronavirus claimed another 11 lives in Iran, bringing the country’s overall toll to 54, according to official figures released yesterday that showed the virus was spreading more rapidly. “Eleven people lost their lives” in the past 24 hours, health ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour told a televised news conference, adding that testing across the country showed there were 385 new cases. It was the highest number of new cases for the third successive

day in the Islamic republic, which now has 978 confirmed infections.

“Fortunately, along with the not-so-good news that we hear these days, especially in some provinces, we’ve had a total of 175 cases of those who have been treated and left the hospital,” Jahanpour said. The biggest jump in newly reported cases was in Tehran province, where 170 people tested positive for the virus. Forty-four new cases were reported in the central province of Markazi and 31 in northern Alborz province.

Thirty were reported in the holy Shiite city of Qom, the epicentre of the country’s outbreak where its first two novel coronavirus deaths were announced on February 19. There were 28 in the province Gilan, on the Caspian Sea in the country’s northeast, 17 in northeastern Khorasan Razavi and eight in southern Fars province.

Saudi Arabia said yesterday it had prepared 25 hospitals to handle any coronavirus cases that might be detected in the kingdom, part of precautionary measures which include closing its borders to foreign umrah pilgrims. Health ministry spokesman Mohammed Abdelali told a news conference that 2,200 hospital beds were dedicated for quarantine cases. The kingdom has not recorded any cases of the new coronavirus so far, he said, adding that Saudi Arabia’s trade activity had not been impacted and “is going as usual”.

Saudi Arabia, which has Islam’s two holiest sites, on Thursday announced a ban on foreigners coming to the kingdom for the umrah pilgrimage, which can take place at any time of the year, and to tourists from at least 25 countries where the virus has been found. Other Gulf Arab states have reported coronavirus cases, many linked to visits to Iran or involving people who have come into contact with people who had been there.