COVID-19: Failure to comply with safety measures means Kuwait’s curfew continues
Ministry of Health said workplaces and facilities are not following protocols
Kuwait City: The Ministry of Health said that the decision to continue the partial curfew is due to the failure of citizens and residents to comply with the procedures and rules put in place, Al Qabas reported.
Failure to wear masks and adhering to social distancing measures, especially in public spaces and workplaces, are one of the main reasons that the government decided not to lift the curfew.
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In order to move from one stage to another, the Ministry of Health reviews the number of people infected, monitors the number of infections in private and public workspaces and keeps tabs on the number of available hospital beds, as well as the number of swabs preformed in relation to the number of positive cases.
A Ministry of Health personal told Al Qabas that although the country is moving from one stage to another, everybody should follow social distancing measures, wear a mask at all times and refrain from going to work if they are not feeling well.
Partial curfew
On Thursday, the governmental spokesman, Tareq Al Mezrem, announced that Kuwait will move into phase four of the five-phase plan to return to normality on Tuesday August 18.
Although Kuwait will be moving into the next phase, Al Merzan said that the curfew will not be lifted. The cabinet of ministers will hold a meeting on Thursday August 20 to reevaluate the situation.
The partial curfew, which is from 9:00pm to 3:00am, began on July 28 as Kuwait entered phase three.
To ensure that there are no curfew violators, the Ministry of Interior set up checkpoints throughout the country to monitor the situation. Some businesses and health professionals are granted permits so they can operate during curfew hours.
On Friday August 14, the Ministry of Interior registered 24 curfew violators. According to the Ministry of Interior, legal action has been taken against the curfew violators.
Kuwait has been under some variation of partial curfews since March 21, except for three weeks in May where the country underwent a full lockdown.
The Kuwaiti government introduced a five-stage plan, back on May 26, as a way to ease the country back to normal life.