Kuwait government decided Thursday to ease restrictions imposed in order to curb spread of coronavirus as of Sunday, June 21, but would not allow public sector’s workers to return to their offices next week. The government decided to extend the first phase of a plan to return to normalcy plan because of the high number of infections among the Kuwaiti citizens, Government spokesman Tareq Al Mezrem told an online news conference.
He said the Ministry of Health would be assessing the health situation of the virus and would refer the assessment to the cabinet next week. He added the cabinet assigned the ministers to provide services for the public as of next Sunday. Al-Mezrem said the government also decided to change curfew hours to start at 7:00 pm until 5:00 am starting morning of June 21.
He said the government decided to lift the lockdown on areas of Hawally, Nuqra, Maidan Hawally and some blocks in Khaitan as of next Sunday. The government, said Al-Mezrem, also allowed limited air travel for citizens with critical health conditions who should travel at their own expense. Students who must travel to attend their tests will be allowed to do so, he said, as well as citizens who have foreign wife of husband abroad and the trip should be for 30 days minimum.
Any person who wants to travel should submit a request for the Ministry of Interior 10 days before the trip, he said, and citizens should pay for their treatment in case of contraction of the virus. The government compels passengers wishing to come to Kuwait to provide an Arab copy certificate he conducted a PCR test four days before the trip, providing he is clean of the virus, said Al-Mezrem.