Kuwait checks employees for coronavirus, 46 infected
Pictures of employees queueing to enter ministries this morning goes viral on social media
Dubai: Kuwait goverment employees were seen on Sunday morning queueing for coronavirus testing as they enter the ministries complex in Kuwait city.
The pictures that were shared on social media of employees being tested after returning from Kuwait national holidays, as Kuwait struggles with coronavirus spread.
Kuwait health ministry on Sunday morning said one more case was recorded bringing the total number of infected to 46, all cases infected are of people who were visiting Iran in the past two weeks.
Kuwait called on its citizens to avoid traveling over concerns of coronavirus contamination, a health ministry official said at a media conference on Saturday. While six flights have landed in Kuwait airport returning Kuwaiti nationals from Iran and Thailand.
"The arrivals from Tehran have to remain in quarantine while those from Thailand will be under observation at home," she told Kuwait state news agency (KUNA). "The persons who suffer from chronic illnesses, such as the heart disease, were admitted into a specific hospital to verify their health condition."
Also Ministry of ducation in its effort to limit the spred of virus have issued an advisory to all schools saying "In the event that any teacher or administrator who was traveling outside the country during the previous vacation should not be allowed to work until he gets a report from the Ministry of Health proving that he was clear from coronavirus."
Growing number of cases
Kuwait now has 46 confirmed cases of coronavirus, according to a health ministry official on Sunday, who added all cases involved people who had been to Iran.
Iran, which lies east of Kuwait, has experienced the largest death toll from coronavirus outside China, 43 people out of 593 confirmed cases.
Kuwait announced a raft of measures on Thursday, according to state news agency KUNA, including forcing all flight passengers to sign an avowal that would make them subject to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks at the Kuwaiti authorities' discretion.
Those who do not comply could face "punishments and legal accountability", KUNA added.
A number of educational institutes will also close for two weeks. The Kuwaiti army will suspend studies at military colleges and schools for two weeks from March 1 due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak, and studies at Saad Al-Abdullah Academy For Security Sciences will also be halted for two weeks from March 1.
Classes have also been halted at the Institute of Banking Studies until further notice.
The state-owned Kuwait Oil Company said on Twitter it has suspended all domestic and foreign official missions and training programmes for its employees until further notice, including training at international companies and participation at conferences.
It made no explicit reference to coronavirus, but said it was "a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of workers."