Restrictions Reintroduced To Contain Covid-19 Infections

The precautionary measures announced by the government last week are intended to contain and curtail the spread of COVID-19 infections in the country. The increased rate of infections in recent weeks led to concerns that the pandemic might make a resurgence in the country.

After an extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on 3 February, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh said the cabinet ordered a series of measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, following the increase in number of infections and related hospitalizations.

The preventive measures, which will come into effect from Sunday, 7 February and extend for a full month, include closure of all commercial facilities and restaurants except for pharmacies, medical and food supplying outlets, and home-delivery services, from 8pm to 5am every day. The cabinet also ordered a full shutdown of all health clubs, resorts, beauty salons and hairdressing centers, and ordered sports federations to suspend all formal and friendly sports activities.

In addition, the cabinet imposed a two-week ban on entry of non-Kuwaitis to the country as of 7 February Only foreigners who are first degree relatives of Kuwaitis and their travel companions of domestic and other workers are excluded from the ban, he clarified. The cabinet also imposed a one-week institutional quarantine on all arrivals at their expenses and another week quarantine at home, as of 21 February for one month.

The cabinet also banned opening of celebration halls and tents and all gatherings, even for National and Liberation Day celebrations. It also instructed the Civil Service Commission to set a number of penalties on civil servants who do not abide by coronavirus preventive measures. The cabinet called on all nationals and residents to comply with preventive health measures and guidelines.

The Cabinet’s Corona Emergency Committee (CEC), which is the final authority on taking decisions regarding the pandemic, also ordered the withdrawal of restaurant licenses if the establishment was found supplying food to wedding parties, events, and bureaus with banquets, for violating health requirements that prohibit gatherings. The committee also decided to close any hotel if they were found renting out halls for social gathering events.

The committee has activated a hotline, which will start working from next Sunday, to receive complaints from citizens and residents about any gatherings that occur in a way that contributes to the spread of the epidemic.

Pointing out that the preventive measures were taken to achieve the desired goals for the interests of society and individuals, Al-Saleh urged all people to work as a team to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic. He stressed that abiding by these health instructions and guidelines, assuming social responsibility and taking vaccines will lead to a safe return to normalcy.

Earlier, the cabinet was briefed on the health situation in the country through a presentation by Minister of Health Dr. Basel Al-Sabah and Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Affairs Buthaina Al-Mudhaf on the latest developments in the world especially in light of the rapid spread of new strains of the coronavirus.

While December recorded the lowest number of infections since last May, the figures nearly doubled in January. Available data shows that the number of infections recorded in the first month of 2021 jumped to 14,673 from the 7,592 infections recorded a month.

Several reasons have been attributed to the soaring infections and hospitalizations in recent weeks, including the imprudent attitude of many people to health guidelines and safety precautions mandated by health authorities, the increase in number of international arrivals, and questionable PCR tests by some passengers. Authorities also fear that the discovery of more contagious versions of coronavirus among passengers returning to Kuwait from Europe and Africa could signal a potentially dangerous turn of infections.

Though Kuwait is preparing to conduct PCR tests on all arrivals to the country, currently passengers arriving in Kuwait are tested randomly and need to carry a PCR certificate conducted 72 hours prior to their departure and attesting to their negative infection status. Nevertheless, health authorities have noticed several cases where passengers carrying negative PCR certificates have tested positive on being tested in Kuwait.

This has raised questions on the reliability of tests conducted by many foreign test centers, and has increased calls for all such tests to be conducted only by Health Ministry approved laboratories abroad through its MUNA program of accredited laboratories in many countries. The program allows authorities to verify all the details of the PCR test before the arrival of a passenger to Kuwait.

In a virtual news conference following the cabinet’s extraordinary meeting Wednesday, the health minister implored the public to cooperate with state bodies and show full commitment to relevant precautions to help save people’s lives and the country’s healthcare system. He stressed on the importance of wearing facemasks, abiding by social distancing rules, avoiding crowds, staying indoors and sticking to hand hygiene. Non-compliance and recklessness could take the country back to square one in its fight against the pandemic, he cautioned.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has issued an advisory to all Kuwaiti nationals to avoid global travel, except for “absolute necessity”, amidst strict measures being implemented worldwide to halt the spread of the highly-contagious new strains of coronavirus. The ministry urged those compelled to travel to provide health insurance that covers all ailments, including coronavirus, valid for the entire period of their stay overseas.

The ministry also stressed the importance of full adherence to health guidelines in host countries and the need to follow updates or amendments to these measures, bearing in mind that these measures may differ from country to country some of which may be introduced without prior notice.

For its part, the Ministry of Health decided on 4 February to stop granting leave to all ministry employees, as of 7 February, for a period of three months, due to the global epidemiological situation and local developments.

 

SOURCE  TIMESKUWAIT

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