Full curfew eyed with 161 new cases

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KUWAIT CITY, April 11, (KUNA): Kuwait government Thursday stepped up measures aimed at confronting spread of coronavirus (COVID-19), including considering a full curfew and increasing medical workers while planning resumption of State departments including remotely.

The Kuwaiti Ministry of Health (MoH), meanwhile, announced Saturday, that 161 people were infected by the coronavirus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 1,154.

Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad said to KUNA that 27 patients were in intensive care. Those currently receiving treatment at hospitals reached 1,020 patients, said the spokesperson, adding that 1,445 individuals have completed quarantine. One death has been reported so far.

Regarding those infected, Dr Al-Sanad said that the travel-related cases numbered 31, which were submitted as part of the recent evacuation flights and were under institutional quarantine.

The 17 cases related to Kuwaiti citizens arrived from the UK, nine cases to Kuwaiti citizens came from Germany, three to citizens came from the US, and one case related to illegal resident arrived from the UK and one for an Indian resident arrived from Egypt.

Al-Sanad added that 127 cases related to people who were in contact with infected patients, 4 Kuwaiti citizens, 101 Indian residents, 15 Bengali, one Saudi, one Pilipino, one Jordanian, one Pakistani. As for cases of epidemical investigation, the Health Ministry spokesman indicated that the tally reached six patients including one Kuwaiti, two Indians, one Bulgarian and one Egyptian and one Philipino.

Earlier Saturday, the ministry announced the recovery of 10 new patients, bringing the total to 133 recoveries. The Cabinet discussed the health condition in general and the preventive measures to preserve wellbeing of the public, as well as conditions in areas of Mahboula and Jleeb Al-Shuyoukh, which were under complete lockdown, but medical services and food are provided for inhabitants.

A statement by Deputy Premier, Interior Minister and Minsiter of State for Cabinet Anas Al-Saleh said the government, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, decided to cut by half passes granted for workers in different bodies that guarantee movement during curfew. It assigned Ministry of Interior (MoI) to consider the distribution of passes.

The government, said Al-Saleh, also formed a team to prepare for resumption of work at government departments, including through online mechanism. It assigned the Ministries of Health and Finance to guarantee payment of medical workers in private hospitals. The Cabinet praised outcome of a meeting between His Highness the Prime Minister and President of the State Audit Bureau Faisal Al-Shaya on preservation of public funds.

The government, meanwhile, would provide appropriations for ministries and State departments to help them confront spread of the virus, took note of preparations for repatriation of citizens end of next week following registration in a special website designed for this purpose.

The Kuwait government assigned State departments to complete arrangements to consider imposition of full curfew nationwide in order to boost efforts to curb spread of coronavirus, Spokesman Tareq Al-Mezrem announced.

Al-Mezrem, at an online news conference, said relevant authorities were assigned to place executive plans to deal with possibility of imposing a curfew, and to avoid any obstacles that might hamper execution of the curfew. He was speaking after a Cabinet meeting, during which government assigned the Directorate General for Civil Aviation to allow operation of all airlines in order to allow expatriates wishing to return to their countries do so.

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