No country refuses to receive their own
KUWAIT CITY, May 13, (KUNA): There is no country that refuses to receive their citizens from the State of Kuwait who were in violation of the residency law, the Arab Gulf country’s Foreign Minister has said.
“No country refused to receive its citizens, all countries are committed to providing care for their nationals,” Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah told an online news conference.
Kuwait had in March urged all expatriates who were in violation of the residency law to come forward to register their personal information at specific centers, during the month of April, to be repatriated to their countries.
The Ministry of Interior said those expatriates would be kept in special housing units with daily meals, and would be sent back to their countries without paying for tickets.
“All countries acknowledged the arrangements by the State of Kuwait,” said Sheikh Ahmad.
Those countries, he added, asked for time to prepare themselves to receive their citizens.
He also noted that countries like India, Bangladesh, Egypt and Sri Lanka were in complete lockdown, hence more time was needed for the repatriation of their citizens.
Sheikh Ahmad said His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlJaber Al-Sabah contacted the leaders of those countries, and His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah also spoke with his counterparts with the objective of repatriation of their citizens.
Full curfew expected to help reduce cases
Kuwait Government urged the public to abide by the full curfew and comply with health authorities’ instructions as the curfew was expected to reduce number of coronavirus cases.
Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Bassel Al-Sabah, in an online briefing for the cabinet, chaired by His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, said number of infections amongst citizens and expatriates increased due to failure of the public to abide by physical distancing.
Sheikh Bassel however said the health situation was under control and “the number of infections is expected to decline after the implementation of the full curfew in the country,” a statement by Deputy Premier, Interior Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Anas Al-Saleh said.
The full curfew began Sunday 4 pm and the government allowed the people to exercise outdoors for two hours daily: 4:30-6:30 pm from Monday.
Sheikh Bassel, meanwhile, said the Ministry of Health filed three law suits against persons who attempted
to undermine reputation of the MoH and its staff regarding alleged corruption and profiteering crimes related to purchase of masks and protective garments, said Al-Saleh.
Sheikh Bassel reiterated full confidence in the MoH officials who were “carrying out their responsibilities faithfully and in integrity.”
Al-Saleh said the cabinet, keen on brushing aside any claim, assigned the State Audit Bureau to examine direct contracting procedures carried out by the MoH, as of March 1, 2020, in order to confront ramifications of the coronavirus.
The government urged the public to come forward to legal departments and anti-corruption authority to provide information and documents proving commitment of corruption crimes.
It also assigned relevant government authorities to take legal action against any person publishing false allegations against integrity of officials, said Al-Saleh.
On the other hand, Minister of Oil and Acting Minister of Electricity and Water Dr. Khaled Al-Fadhel and MEW’s officials briefed the cabinet members that 13,340 megawatt would be generated this month, a three-percent increase than the 2019 figures.
For his part, Foreign Minister and head of a special team tasked with repatriation of citizens from abroad, Sheikh Dr. Ahmad Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah, briefed the government about preparations for nationals’ return from Saudi Arabia via the land checkpoint Al-Nuwaiseeb were complete.
He said the operation would be carried out between May 12 and 20, and the foreign ministry and the State of Kuwait Embassy in Riyadh started registering names of citizens seeking to return home.
He expressed gratitude for Saudi Arabia for facilitating the return of Kuwaiti citizens.
The Cabinet also discussed speech of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, which he addressed to the nation two days ago, during which he urged the international community and specialists to search for a vaccine for the coronavirus pandemic.
His Highness the Amir highlighted the professional and transparent way the government was dealing with the pandemic, thanking all those who were fighting the disease.
His Highness the Amir also called for learning lessons to strengthen national unity, rationalize resources, lessen dependence on others and diversify income.
The Cabinet assigned relevant ministerial committees to implement guidelines in the speech.
The Cabinet meanwhile urged the parliament to postpone a National Assembly’s session, scheduled for Wednesday, until after May 30, the last day of the full curfew.
The government said the scheduled session entailed health hazards because the parliament would house more than 100 people in one place, which would contradict with preventive measures to confront the virus.
128 buildings quarantined
Some 128 residential buildings are under quarantine due to the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19), while 15 cooperative societies are under inspection, said a health official Tuesday.
During the daily COVID-19 briefing, Undersecretary at the Health Ministry Dr, Buthaina Al-Mudhaf affirmed that samples taken from the buildings’ residents proved that over 1,000 individuals were infected with the virus.
As for the markets, some 2,900 COVID-19 swipes were taken to determine the spread of the virus.
Earlier, the Health Ministry said that 991 individuals were infected with the virus, while ten people were passed away.
Some 194 patients recovered from the coronavirus.