COVID-19: 158,000 expats have left Kuwait since March

Cairo: Over 158,000 expatriates have left Kuwait since March, with the figure projected to hit 1.5 million by the end of this year, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai reported Friday, citing official statistics.

Foreigners account for nearly 3.4 million of Kuwait’s 4.8 million population.

In recent months, there has been an exodus of migrant workers from the Gulf countries amid an outbreak of the new coronavirus that has taken a toll on the economy.

Many expatriates have departed from Kuwait due to financial hardships after several private sector enterprises terminated the services of large numbers of their employees as a result of financial losses incurred because of COVID-19, Al Rai said.

Another reason is the government’s shift to replace foreigners with Kuwaitis in jobs, a policy that has prompted large numbers of expatriates to leave for their home countries. Some 158,031 passengers, mainly from Egypt and India, have left Kuwait since March 16 until July 9 aboard a total of 993 flights, a well-informed source at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

“The figure is anticipated to increase with the reoperation of the airport [in Kuwait] at the beginning of next month. The number of foreign residents leaving the country is expected to reach about 1.5 million by the end of the current year,” added the source.

In recent months, several Kuwaiti public figures have accused expatriates, mainly the unskilled labour, of straining the country’s health facilities and increasing the COVID-19 threat.