COVID-19: Kuwait rethinks exemptions from work

Cairo: Kuwait is set to reconsider rules for exemptions from work that have been in effect for more than a year as part of restrictions prompted by COVID-19, according to a local report.

The exemptions are being applied as deemed appropriate by each governmental agency, Al Anba newspaper said, citing what it termed as well-informed sources.

“Powers given to these agencies provide a full or partial exemption from work for certain cases and regard them as having rest days according to requirements of work,” a source said.

The sources cited a host of reasons prompting an imminent rethink of exemption rules, including the elapse of more than a year since the exemption rules went into effect and requests from several governmental agencies and ministries to increase their employees’ reporting to the workplace to 100 per cent. Employees’ attendance at all governmental institutions in Kuwait is already set at 60 per cent of their overall capacity.

Reasons for exemption from work have reached 14, including cases related to chronic or serious ailments such as diabetes, blood hypertension, chest diseases, cancer, renal failure and immune deficiency or suffering from a disability.

Last October, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry suspended a committee that was tasked with approving medical reports from applicants for work exemption due to COVID-19. At the time, the ministry obliged such employees to follow related regulations set by the state Civil Service Commission.