Diplomats from many Asian embassies in Kuwait say that Kuwait’s decision to mandate health certificates from their nationals to enter the country would place pressure on the health sector in their countries, as well as financially burden their compatriots.
A recent notification from Kuwait’s Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had stipulated that starting from Sunday, 8 March, citizens of 10 specified countries would have to produce a medical clearance certificate, stating they are free of COVID-19 infection, before being allowed to enter Kuwait.
The diplomats said they understood Kuwait government’s concern over the virus epidemic, and the need for precautionary measures to protect citizens and to limit the spread of the virus in the country. However, the diplomats revealed that the Kuwaiti authorities had not formally informed them of the decision, and instead the embassies learned about it from the media. Moreover, there were no updates or any further clarification related to the decision.
Ambassador of Bangladesh to Kuwait H.E. S.M. Abul Kalam expressed his surprise that his country’s name is on the list of ten countries, although there is no record of any case of COVID-19 infection in his country. Affirming that he respects Kuwait’s decision, he noted that there are thousands of Bangladeshis arriving in Kuwait each month and the new decision would be an additional financial strain on them.
For his part, the Sri Lankan diplomat pointed out that implementing this decision will place a severe pressure on Sri Lanka’s health system and that thousands of Sri Lankans would be impacted by this decision.
Philippine diplomatic sources revealed that about 10,000 Filipinos arrive in Kuwait each month and that together with those who go on annual holidays, the figure could jump to as high as 50,000 in three months. Besides being a financial burden on these workers the new rule would strain medical services in the Philippines.
Indian diplomats confirmed that the decision to impose health clearance certificates on those arriving in Kuwait would affect as many as 100,000 Indians in the coming three months, including tourists who may be turned off by the new impositions.
