Kuwait to start repatriating citizens stranded abroad as of Sunday
50,000 citizens stranded in various countries due to suspension of flights globally
Dubai: Kuwait will embark on a plan to repatriate 50,000 citizens stranded abroad due to suspension of flights globally over coronavirus concerns, the Kuwait News Agency announced on Monday.
Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah said: “We have 50,000 citizens stranded abroad. We have rolled a plan to begin repatriating them to the country, starting from Sunday. “
On Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced that airlines would be allowed to operate outbound flights from Kuwait to repatriate expats.
Airliners can schedule flights to several destinations in accordance with the Cabinet decision to this effect which was issued on April 9.
The move comes as Kuwait continues with its amnesty campaign for expatriates who do not have valid residency permits in the country.
The initiative, in place from April 1-30, allows residency violators to leave the country without paying any fines and offers them a chance to return to the country later with the right documents.
Meanwhile, Kuwait confirmed 66 new cases of the novel coronavirus, taking its overall count of infections to 1,300.
It also announced one more fatality for a 50-year-old Kuwaiti man, who was in intensive care unit, raising to two the number of deaths, Dr Abdullah Al Sanad, spokesman for the Health Ministry said in a media briefing.
The latest 66 cases include four linked to travel, and 51 others who were in contact with previously infected people, Dr Al Sanad added. The 11 other cases are being investigated, he added.