Coronavirus cases confirmed stable - Civil defense panel in session

KUWAIT CITY, Feb 29, (KUNA): All coronavirus confirmed cases are in a good and stable condition, said Kuwait’s Health Ministry spokesperson Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad.

This came on the sidelines of the daily briefing held at the ministry’s headquarters on coronavirus developments. The spokesperson pointed out that Health Minister Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah, accompanied with the ministry’s undersecretary Dr Mustafa Redha, visited the infected cases yesterday.

He said that the number of cases thus far reached 45, stressing that the ministry has taken many preventive measures in accordance with international protocols.

He also pointed out that there are emergency numbers to contact with the ministry, expressing thanks to all cooperating concerned authorities.

No coronavirus (COVID-19) cases were registered in Kuwait in the last 24 hours, said the Health Ministry Saturday.

Assistant Secretary at the Health Ministry Dr Buthaina Al-Mudhaf told a press conference that the ministry along with other State bodies were continuing to take measures to counter the coronavirus and fortunately, the efforts were thus far fruitful.

The State of Kuwait will continue to evacuate citizens from heavily infected coronavirus countries, revealing that 35 travelers coming from Iraq were sent to quarantine while 52 Kuwaitis arriving from Italy were under health inspection.

All border entry points in Kuwait – whether via air, land, or sea – are under continuous supervision to detect coronavirus, Dr Al-Mudhaf said. She affirmed that all those infected with the virus were in good health and recovering. The infected are receiving topnotch medical care at specialized facilities dedicated to the combating coronavirus.

Dr Al-Mudhaf urged all citizens and expatriates to follow preventative measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, stressing that the ministry is following up on all cases. The ministry previously announced that a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to arrive in Kuwait to assess the measures implemented against the coronavirus. The team is expected to deliver a statement later today in regards to the situation in Kuwait.

Work proceeding normally
Work in the public sector is proceeding as regular and there is no need under current circumstances to stop it, Official Kuwaiti Government Spokesperson Tareq Al-Mezrem said on Friday.

The Government is keen on safety of citizens and residents of the country and is following up on developments concerning the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), Al-Mezrem said in a statement.

It (the Government) has already taken some precautionary measures in this regard, such as closing schools and relieving civil servants of electronic punch in/out for work temporarily. Public sector employees who are not compelled to show up at work are those who have been instructed by the Ministry of Health to quarantine themselves at their houses, the spokesperson explained further.

CDC in session
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh said Friday the Civil Defense Committee (CDC) is in permanent session to tackle the risks posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). “The safety of public health is the top priority because citizens are the real riches of the country,” he said in a statement released by the Interior Ministry’s General Directorate of Security Relations and Media following a meeting by the interagency Committee. The meeting, chaired by Al-Saleh, also gathered Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah and Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry and Head of the Committee Lt-Gen Essam El-Nahham as well as other senior officials.

Al-Saleh commended the efforts of competent state bodies that “mobilized their human and technical resources to fend off the COVID-19 risks and protect the safety of all citizens and residents,” according to the statement. The meeting reviewed the precautionary measures implemented by the various state bodies, and ways to maximize benefit from their cooperation and reach the desired targets.

Al-Saleh highlighted the need to continue the public awareness campaign to educate the citizens and residents about the preventive measures and refute fake news and rumors being circulated on some mass media.

The meeting urged reliance on the official sources such as the websites of the Ministry of Interior and other government bodies for credible news.

During the meeting, Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah affirmed that the Ministry of Health continues keeping a close watch on the developments of COVID-19 infections and screening the arrivals from areas hit by the virus.

“We are in contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) to keep updated on the developments of the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide and adopt the necessary precautions to prevent its spread in Kuwait,” the statement quoted the minister as saying. Sheikh Dr Basel noted that the Kuwaiti government suspended all flights to some neighboring countries to stem the spread of the infections to Kuwait and protect the public health.

WHO official hails Kuwait
Director of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO EMRO) Dr Ahmad Al-Mandhari commended on Saturday Kuwait’s concerned authorities for containing the outbreak of the emerging novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In a press conference held by Kuwait’s Ministry of Health (MoH) on the sidelines of WHO’s delegation visit to follow-up on the ministry’s actions, Dr Al-Mandhari acclaimed efforts made by the country’s government in implementing the organization’s recommendations regarding the spread of COVID-19.

Procedures of Kuwait’s authorities include enhancing effective monitoring in all country outlets, hospitals, health centers and screening upon entry to all travelers coming from infected countries.

Measures taken by Kuwaiti authorities are to train health workers on the front lines, deal with contacts and put them in quarantine, isolate confirmed cases and scatter public awareness as well as other measures, Al-Mandhari pointed out. He thanked Kuwait’s government for its tireless work in response to the outbreak, as it is one of the signatories of the 2005 International Health Regulations and is working to fulfill its obligations including responding to early detection of public health happenings fast.

WHO is following-up on the number of cases in the region and the misinformation spread in various means of communication and the media that strikes panic, he added. Procedures are divided into three levels; the first is depending on WHO’s recommendations, second is Kuwait’s specific techniques and the third is WHO’s additional measures. Awareness to Kuwait targets all age groups in society, in addition to publishing these instructions in all outlets of the country. WHO relies on the media and health workers on the front lines to provide accurate information and report to MoH, he noted.

The media plays a pivotal role in assisting WHO’s efforts and the concerned authorities in every country to contain this outbreak and manage it correctly. In the context of containing the spread, there are three main priorities; protecting health workers, protecting the most vulnerable especially the elderly and individuals suffering from chronic diseases, and protecting the most risked countries.

Put travel plans on hold
Kuwait Embassy in Washington asked its nationals in the United States to postpone their travel plans pending further notice on the exit and entry process against the backdrop of the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19) outbreak worldwide.

A statement by the embassy advised the Kuwaiti citizens and students in the US to keep updated on COVID-19 and abide by the guidelines set in this regard by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the website www.cdc.gov.

Warning against inaccurate news relating to the disease, it called on them to contact the following phone numbers for any information: The embassy’s hotline: +12022620758, The Consulate New York hotline: +19172426688, And hotline of the Cultural Office in Washington: 1+ 2023642104.

Kuwaiti Ports Authority said Friday that a medical team is accompanying their crews and boarding ships arriving in the country in order to examine its crews, and to ensure that they are free of the emerging coronavirus, known as (COVID-19).