Omicron: Lebanon declares curfew for unvaccinated

Beirut: Lebanon has declared a nighttime curfew for the unvaccinated ahead and during the holiday seasons. Its health minister on Wednesday called it one of the measures to stem a recent rise in coronavirus infections and a precaution against the new variant.

Lebanon has not recorded any infections with Omicron, but the small country enduring a severe financial crisis is concerned its health care system won’t be handle a new peak of infections.

Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said the COVID committee wants to avoid imposing a full lockdown and hopes to encourage more people to get vaccinated.

Meanwhile, Kuwait said it is not considering imposing a total or partial curfew amid growing global concerns over the spread of Omicron, a senior official was quoted as saying.

“It is necessary to continue complying with health and preventive measures to maintain the stable epidemiological situation in Kuwait,” the ministerial source added, according to Al Rai newspaper.

So far, Kuwaiti authorities have said that the new strain has not been detected in the country, and have suspended flights from nine African nations.

The health scene is stable in Kuwait, the government spokesman Tareq Al Mazrem said Wednesday evening.

He added that all people in the country can get a booster shot against COVID-19 without prior appointments provided that six months have elapsed since they obtained the second dose of vaccination.

“This step is important to boost immunity and get better protection against infection,” he said in media remarks.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry this week urged citizens against travelling abroad unless necessary. In recent months, Kuwait has seen a marked decline in virus infection rates attributed to quick-paced mass vaccination.