Kuwait Government And Private Agencies Ready To Resume Work Soon With Coronavirus Precautions

The Kuwait government has issued a directive that on May 30, Kuwait will gradually return to normal, and all ministries have begun preparations for resuming work with the smallest  number of employees in each sector, reported a local daily.  In addition, the fingerprint system for workers has been cancelled and online services has been expanded to prevent congestion and the physical presence of visitors.

Anti-coronavirus health measures will be enforced such as thermal checks at the entrances of offices and regular sterilization of the work spaces.  Employees and visitors will be obligated to wear masks and maintain physical distancing. The daily explained that how far  resuming work is complete also depends on government agencies’ reports and their readiness to handle services for citizens and expats by relying on online systems.

Since the COVID-19 crisis affected the country, there has been a greater need for online services in government agencies, and many such services were activated and opened to the public – individuals and companies – with a limited group of employees still working to complete transactions.

According to the daily, the restarting of work will be without visitors during the first phase and online transactions will be sufficient, provided the process is quick, and the legal requirements are met.

The daily reported that majority of government agencies have started online services for citizens and expats, including Public Authority for Manpower, Public Institution for Social Security, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Public Authority for Civil Information, Civil Service Commission, Ministry of Finance, Kuwait Municipality, State Ministry for Housing Affairs, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Ministry of Social Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

The daily mentioned that reports are expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers that will include outlined plans for departments and agencies to handle transactions, as well as the creation of one automated system that links together 16 government agencies.

The daily reported the majority of the agencies have expanded their services, and others are working to update their offerings to meet the needs of visitors with the aim to reduce congestion and the need for people to visit the offices. In addition, people will have to schedule online appointments for visits to the offices of government agencies.

In regard to the return of the employees, the daily explained that some government agencies are entrusted with the plans. In the first phrase, work will be carried out remotely or divided into a morning and evening shift system to complete the transactions of citizens and expats. The work will be evaluated on the basis on the speedy completion of online transactions. Fingerprint attendance system will be temporarily suspended.

The daily also reported that some transactions will be handled via either smart apps launched by government agencies or their websites, while a specific email ID or through apps such as WhatsApp can help to deal with some services

In addition, transactions related to health insurance, residency and work permits, and other more important work, the online services will feature bar codes instead of seals for them to be scanned online for validity, both in the permits and stamps which will include the value of transactions.

Comments Post Comment

Leave a Comment

Submit