Kuwait tops COVID-19 Government Response Index

Abu Dhabi: Kuwait scored 100 per cent on the Government Response Stringency Index against the coronavirus, according to an analysis by Oxford University.

The Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Index tracks a wide range of measures taken by governments to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.

Kuwait topped the index with 100 per cent score on almost all indicators. The first seven indicators (S1-S7), taking policies such as school closures, travel bans, etc, are recorded on an ordinal scale; the remainder are financial indicators such as fiscal or monetary measures.

Starting May 30, the curfew in Kuwait was eased to become from 6pm to 6am.

Kuwait is working hard to keep the novel coronavirus under control. The country began a 16-hour curfew in April. Earlier in May, the country announced 24-hour lockdown following an uptick in cases. Infections continued to increase during the round-the-clock curfew, however, sometimes by nearly 1,000 per day. Authorities have also said they will throw people in jail for not wearing a mask.

Cases continue to rise as the government eases restrictions on movement.