Anxiety And Fear Grip Expats In Anticipation Of Total Lockdown

The news of a total lockdown has spread fear and panic to residential areas with high concentration of expatriates particularly from Asia. Social media is abuzz that the lockdown is imminent and fast approaching, giving sleepless nights to many living in these areas.

A whatsapp forward detailing the plan is doing rounds and many expatriates think its an official announcement of area wise curfew that is being implemented, caught between fake news and fact, the news is creating a sense of panic to people living in these areas. While many welcome a total lock down to flatten the curve of the coronavirus spread, the worry is the implementation.

Already two areas, Jleeb and Mahboula, which have been under complete curfew since a week where initial videos circulating showed signs of panic and chaos that has residents of other areas worried. Even though the situation there has been gradually stabilising in terms of food and amenities, the signs for a full lock down in other areas seems imminent as the number of new infections have not dropped and on the contrary have increased through contact.

More than 23 nationalities have been infected through contact which is alarming for the ministry of health as they have not been able to contact trace all the infected persons to contain the spread on the one hand while on the other, the large numbers of migrant labor living in these areas have meant social distancing has not been very successful.

Out of 1355 cases reported so far, the Indian community which is the single largest expatriate community has almost 750 infected cases mostly spread through contact while Kuwaiti citizens have only crossed the 300 mark. Even though there have been 150 recoveries and only 3 deaths reported, Kuwait has been dealing with the problem on a war footing and ready to do anything to bring the numbers down.

As the Holy Month of Ramadan is little more than a week away, the government is left with few choices than to ensure that the spread of the virus locally has been contained. The government has reiterated that it would not hesitate to implement a total lockdown if the situation does not improve, while giving assurances that all preparations would be done before undertaking such a decision.

During non-curfew hours, which is 6 am to 5 pm, many of these areas are witnessing considerable traffic movement and also crowding in some areas that can be avoided. With more than 90 per cent of the country asked to stay and work from home, the non curfew hours are a time for many to mingle in their free time.

When and if the decision is taken on a total curfew, there will be ample reason and also hope that eventually the coronavirus will be contained to everyone’s relief.

 

SOURCE : TIMESKUWAIT

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