Irrational fear of coronavirus infection seems to have dampened the fervor of National and Liberation Day celebrations across the country.
In a recent Cabinet meeting the Minister of Health Dr. Sheikh Basel Al-Sabah submitted a report on the latest statistics and developments of coronavirus, and stressed that Kuwait is free of the coronavirus until now. He added that the ministry is also following up on implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations on keeping people away from gatherings and limiting the congregations.
Heeding the Health Minister’s warning, the Cabinet is reported to have instructed the Foreign Ministry to inform all of the country’s diplomatic missions abroad to delay the celebrations of the National Days this year. The Cabinet also directed the Civil Service Commission to set regulations to curb the travel of employees on official missions, except where absolutely necessary.
The Cabinet also stressed the importance of avoiding any gatherings by both citizens and residents, mainly during the National and Liberation Days’ celebrations to avoid all risks arising from the spread of this disease and preserve the safety of citizens and residents.The health ministry has also set up a 24-hour hotline on ‘24970967’ to answer any questions related to coronavirus by citizens or residents. The Cabinet’s warning has restrained any plans of citizens and residents for parades or parties to celebrate the national holidays.
The low-key celebrations this year is also evident from the relatively fewer decorations on the streets of the country, as most of the lights, flags and other accessories are usually sourced from China. Orders for these decorations have been delayed or cancelled due to suspension of operations at manufacturing sites in China or interruptions in the supply chains, especially in shipping and customs clearance processes. Customs in Kuwait are now understood to be setting up a new mechanism for processing imports from China, with the aim of speeding up customs clearances.
But with just days to go before the celebrations, it is doubtful whether the decorations and other material will clear customs in time. Port authorities in Kuwait had tightened health procedures for releasing any shipments coming from China, to ensure the virus is not transmitted through these goods. While precautionary measures against coronavirus infection are absolutely necessary, panic response is clearly in no one’s interest.
Someone needed to have informed the customs authorities that most viruses do not remain virulent on outside surfaces, such as decorations or containers, for more than a few hours or days. Shipping containers from China have been probably at sea for well over two weeks, and quarantining them on the dock for a further 24 hours, if needed, should potentially remove any risk of infection.