Ministry of Health (MoH) is creating a list of its employees, who are stuck outside the country and unable to return to Kuwait after the airport activities were suspended as a measure against the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
MoH confirmed in a circular to various healthcare facilities that the ministry will gather the details of the employees including their full name and designation, their civil ID number, the work center, the specialty, the passport number, nationality and the country in which he/she resides, and the names of his relatives, if any, and if the residency permit is valid for them. The details should be submitted within a week.
Al-Seyassah daily earlier stated that the government is considering allowing healthcare workers, teachers, wives of expatriates, and domestic workers to return from countries that are on a 31 country ban list. Expats were prevented from entering Kuwait from these countries that have recorded high rates of coronavirus infection, and as such are deemed ‘high-risk’ countries.
Kuwait government made the ban decision based on instructions of the health authorities that is considering the repercussions caused by the coronavirus. Thus, the ban list includes countries such as India, Iran, China, Brazil, Columbia, Armenia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Syria, Spain, Singapore, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iraq, Mexico, Indonesia, Chile, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Hong Kong, Italy, North Macedonia, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Serbia, Montenegro, Dominican Republic and Kosovo.
The daily reports, citing informed sources, the Cabinet will issue decisions during the meeting today, that the visit and domestic work visas will be suspended until next October, and studying a proposal to remove the condition of a 14-day quarantine period for arrivals, and to suffice with a spot test to check if the person is coronavirus ‘positive’ or ‘negative’. Those showing signs of infection are to be ‘home’ quarantined.
The daily also reported that there is a possibility of canceling the certificate required of those who are outside the country and renewed their residency visa, to be replaced by the usage of the Kuwait Mobile ID app.