Covid-19: Kuwait Proposes To End Travel Ban And Enforce Institutional Quarantine

19 October 2020 Travel

The Director of Operations at Kuwait’s International Airport, Saleh Al Fadaghi, revealed to Al Jarida that they have submitted a proposal to the Supreme Committee to end the travel ban and enforce a mandatory 14-day institutional quarantine in Kuwait.

Al Fadaghi added that if the proposal were accepted they would require the coordination of three governmental entities: the General Administration of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Interior.

In addition, Al Fadaghi pointed out that residents travelling from the 34 banned countries are quarantining in neighbouring countries, which has posed some obstacles to many.

This is not the first proposal that the airport had presented to the government. Last month, The Minister of Health, received a similar proposal that called on the government to allow travellers arriving from the 34 banned countries to quarantine in facilities in Kuwait instead of abroad.

The proposal comes after authorities realized that many expats were quarantining for 14 days in neighbouring Gulf countries before coming to Kuwait.

The travel ban does not affect nationality, rather it is based on if a person travelled or visited a ‘high risk’ country. Nationals from the barred countries are able to enter Kuwait but are required to quarantine 14 days in a non-banned country before arriving in Kuwait.

Many travel agencies have taken advantage of the travel ban and have been selling travel packages for those willing to return to Kuwait. The package includes: flights, accommodation for 14 days in a non-banned country, visa fees, PCR test and additional health fees if required by the country.

The average price for the travel package is around 300 Kuwaiti dinars per traveller.

Travel ban

It’s been over two months since Kuwait enforced a travel ban on a number of countries the government has deemed as ‘high risk’.

The travel ban was first announced on August 1, hours after the Kuwait airport resumed commercial travel, and originally included 31 countries. Then in August, Afghanistan was added to the list.

Currently, the travel ban is imposed on 34 countries, after the government added France, Argentina and Yemen to the list, and removed Singapore.

 

SOURCE: GULFNEWS 

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