Cabinet suspends coronavirus free certificate for arrivals – Confusion mounts

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MANILA MAY SCALE DOWN DEPLOYMENT OF LABOR TO KUWAIT

KUWAIT CITY, March 5: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah chaired the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers at Seif Palace Thursday afternoon to assess the recommendations of the committee formed to review the repercussions of the circular issued by DGCA concerning the proposed imposition of PCR requirement.

Due to difficulties in implementation and the medical tests required in the aforementioned circular in terms lack of such services in some countries, the Cabinet decided to task DGCA to suspend its circular (No. 25) issued on March 3, concerning the imposition of PCR requirements on arrivals from specific countries and also tasked concerned bodies to follow-up the new coronavirus by presenting practical alternatives to ensure passengers arriving to Kuwait are free of the new coronavirus.

After the meeting, acting Minister of Finance and the State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Barrak Ali Al-Sheetan issued a press statement about the content of the meeting, which started with HH the Prime Minister conveying on behalf of HH the Amir of Kuwait and HH the Crown Prince appreciation and salutations to everyone involved in combating the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID- 19), for their continuous efforts to contain it and provide all the necessary precautionary measures required by such circumstances in a way that preserves the health and safety of citizens and residents alike.

The message from top leadership of the country also expressed satisfaction and appreciation for the positive reactions expressed by citizens and expatriates regarding the efficiency of procedures and measures adopted to reduce the effects of this disease. In his role, the Minister of Health and team leader in charge of following up on the developments of the coronavirus, Sheikh Dr Bassel Hammoud Hamad Al- Sabah, explained to the Cabinet the latest developments in the global spread of the new coronavirus based on reports issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in this regard.

In the context of implementing plans to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus and following up on the latest developments in terms of cure, preventive and related logistical services, the Cabinet reviewed the recommendations of the ministerial committee meetings in charge of following up the consequences of the emergence of the new coronavirus and decided the following:

1. Assigning the Public Authority for Industry (PAI) in coordination with the relevant government agencies and private sector to take the necessary measures towards increasing production capacity and operating local factories to manufacture masks and sterilization materials according to international standards approved by the Ministry of Health to provide the strategic stock needed for those materials and assigning the Ministry of Defense in coordination with each of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Kuwait Airways to ensure the transportation and shipment of the above-mentioned equipment and materials as quickly as possible.
2. Assigning the Kuwaiti Supply Company to complete its efforts towards providing 30 million face masks from different markets according to the specifications approved by the Ministry of Health Surgical Mask and assigning the Ministry of Social Affairs to instruct the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies (UCCS) to assume the distribution of face masks to the pharmacies and sales centers to be sold to all consumers – citizens and expatriates – at a price of no more than KD 0.100 per face mask, according to a mechanism that does not allow monopoly, and mandating the Ministry of Trade and Industry to determine the value of the face masks to be sold to the Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies.
3. Warning to all institutions not to issue any circulars or take any measures related to combating the new coronavirus, except after being approved by the ministerial committee in charge of following up the effects of the emergence of the new coronavirus.
4. Assigning the Ministry of Finance in coordination with the concerned authorities to cover the costs of requirements related to efforts to combat the spread of the new coronavirus and logistical services urgently in accordance with the mechanism established by the Ministry of Finance in this regard in bid to ensure speedy response to the needs of the authorities and commitment to the requirements of preserving public fund and taking into account the regulations of the regulatory authorities.
5. Assigning a committee headed by the Secretariat General of the Cabinet Council and the membership of both the Ministry of Finance and the Civil Service Commission to submit appropriate proposals to honor, in a material manner, those in the frontline combating the spread of the new coronavirus in appreciation of the sacrifices and risks they are exposing themselves in carrying out their duties.
6. The council also reviewed recommendations to preserve the necessary stock of preventive supplies for combating the spread of the virus in which the council decided that no protective materials or supplies should be disbursed to government agencies- except after receiving necessary approvals from the ministerial committee in charge of following up the repercussions of the new coronavirus epidemic, in accordance to the appropriate mechanism developed for this purpose.
7. In order to secure the strategic stock of masks, disinfectants and sterilization materials to deal with the repercussions of the coronavirus crisis and its possible spread geographically, Cabinet decided to assign the Ministry of Trade and Industry in cooperation with the Ministry of Health to define the materials and requirements and obligate private sector to dispose it in accordance with approved regulations that do not affect the strategic stock amid preparation of the necessary legal justifications allowing the necessary measures to be taken in order to achieve the goal.

Cabinet also expressed satisfaction on the level of cooperation shown by citizens and expatriates alike, and their adherence to official instructions and warnings.

This reflects the awareness and spirit of responsibility. It also stressed the importance of adhering to the declared preventive instructions and avoiding gatherings in order to reduce the possibility of infection and spread of disease.

On the other hand, Cabinet reviewed the letter of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry addressed to His Highness the Prime Minister, in which it indicated the Chamber’s interest in following up the repercussion of the spread of the coronavirus, its effects on health, society and economy.

It also discussed about the meeting of the Chamber with the Minister of Trade and Industry and his presentation on the proper preparations made by various governmental agencies to combat COVID-19 crisis, which was the subject of satisfaction and reassurance of the Chambers.

The letter also included the readiness of private sector to contribute and support the government efforts, as agreed by the Chambers and the Ministry of Trade and Industry to form a joint committee for consultation, coordination and cooperation on various matters related to dealing with the crisis.

Also, Cabinet welcomed the Chamber’s proposal to form an economic team between the relevant government agencies and private sector to provide practical recommendations to deal with the repercussions of the crisis and reduce its effects, as Cabinet assigned the Minister of Trade and Industry to head the government side, with membership of representatives from the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of State for Economic Affairs.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuwait earlier issued on Thursday an official public advisory to all Filipinos in Kuwait informing the Filipino community that as of Thursday, the embassy had not received any official information from the Kuwaiti government regarding the list of health clinics in the Philippines which are accredited with the Kuwait Embassy in the Philippines to issue the Complete Medical Examination (PCR) certificate stating that Kuwait-bound passengers are free of the coronavirus disease 2019.

The Philippine Embassy advisory was issued amid the mounting confusion among Overseas Filipino Workers in Kuwait who are now on vacation in the Philippines and those who are planning to go on a holiday after the Kuwait Directorate General on Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued Circular No. 25 on March 3, 2020 requiring all passengers from the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Georgia and Lebanon to present a Complete Medical Examination (PCR) Certificate that they are free from COVID-19 before entering Kuwait. The circular which was to take effect on March 8, 2020 further stated that any passenger who comes from the aforementioned countries with no PCR certificate will be denied entry to Kuwait and be deported on the same airline carrier.

Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Mohammed Noordin Pendosina Lomondot who is now in the Philippines informed the Arab Times over the phone that he is closely coordinating with the Kuwait Embassy in Manila and spoke to Kuwait Ambassador to the Philippines Musaed Saleh Al-Thuwaikh who is now in Kuwait regarding this matter.

He added that he already informed the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila pending official communication on this matter from the Kuwait Embassy. “Rest assured that we are all coordinating with the concerned authorities and we will update all our OFWs in Kuwait as soon as we get the official information so we can act accordingly,” stressed Lomondot

Meanwhile, Philippine Vice-Consul Charleson Hermosura disclosed to the Arab Times on Thursday that they were still waiting for the official communication from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the circular.

The Philippine Embassy advisory further informed the Filipino community in Kuwait that the alleged list of Philippine health centres that has been circulating on social media is unconfirmed and unverified as the embassy assured that it continues to be in touch with the Kuwaiti government regarding this matter.

The embassy also urged its nationals to get official advisories and updates on COVID-19 from the Embassy’s social media accounts on Facebook: www. facebook.com/PHinKuwait and Twitter: www.twitter.com/PHinKuwait and continue taking health precautions. “As of now, per the information that I gathered from the head of the laboratory at the San Lazaro Hospital, it’s only the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) that is capable of doing this test but this test is only done for free for individuals who are suspected to have the coronavirus disease and not for travel clearance purposes,” disclosed Dr Chie Umandap, Chairman of AKO OFW, an OFW advocacy group, who visited on Thursday, the San Lazaro Hospital, a tertiary health facility in Manila, Philippines under the Department of Health that deals with communicable or infectious disease.

He added that some OFWs have contacted other clinics but the PCR test for COVID-19 which is a highly specialised test is not readily available and most of the clinics are not equipped to do it. “Right now, we don’t know how can OFWs obtain the required PCR certifi- cate, if they cannot get it even from any supposedly GAMCA-accredited clinic here. If ever it becomes available in the coming days, it will be very expensive because the reagents to be used are limited,” Umandap pointed out.

A banner advisory is placed at the entrance of the RITM that states: “We do not provide clearance for work or travel for asymptomatic individuals. We would also like to reiterate that only sick individuals will be evaluated and only Persons Under Investigation (PUIs) will be admitted.”

Also, a reliable source from the Philippine Overseas Labour Office (POLO) in Kuwait who requested for anonymity informed to the Arab Times that Kuwait Ambassador to the Philippines Al-Thuwaikh will be writing a letter to the concerned authorities in Kuwait regarding this matter and will make his necessary recommendations.

“Ambassador Al-Thuwaikh told us to wait within two days for any positive development regarding this matter,” shared the source to the Arab Times. CNN adds: The Labor Department will be scaling down deployment of workers to Kuwait over its requirement for expatriates from 10 countries, including the Philippines, to show proof that they are free of the coronavirus disease, officially known as COVID-19.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Wednesday that the government would be slowing down the issuance of overseas employment certificates by delaying its release by around a month in a bid to sway Filipino workers away from Kuwait. “It’s not a retaliatory order, it’s a practical order. They are requiring so many requirements for our workers, that’s giving more burden to our workers. In order to prevent our workers from going there, they might as well go to other countries,”

Bello said in a press briefing. He said the “many requirements” result in added burden to Filipino workers, which effectively prevents them from going there. “They might as well go to other countries,” Bello said. He added that deployment to Kuwait will be scaled back up again if the Middle Eastern country waives the medical clearance requirement. Bello, however, said he has spoken with Foreign Affairs officials to work out an arrangement with Kuwait for it to honor medical certificates from Department of Health hospitals and local health centers, which are issued for free.

By Michelle Fe Santiago Arab Times Staff and Agencies

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