Kuwait City: As Kuwait allows passengers traveling from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Egypt and Nepal to enter the country, limited seats are allocated to each country - and this is impeding travel to Kuwait, a local newspaper reported.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to reveal when direct flights will resume and if there are any restrictions on travellers.
But, on Wednesday, the government also said it will be increasing the number of daily passengers from 10,000 people a day to 15,000. However, there is still a cap on the number of people travelling to Kuwait, with around 35 to 50 passengers allowed per flight.
Unapproved vaccines
The government stated on Wednesday that passengers who received two doses of the Sinopharm, Sinovac and Sputnik vaccine, can only enter Kuwait if they had taken a third dose of one of the vaccines approved by the Gulf state. The government has approved Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
Restrictions
In the same statement, the government said that all passengers arriving in Kuwait need to present a negative PCR test conducted no more than 72 hours before their flight.
Once in Kuwait, those who are vaccinated need to quarantine for seven days. If the passenger wants to end their quarantine earlier they need to show proof of a negative PCR test conducted in Kuwait after their arrival along with their vaccination certificate.
As of August 1, only fully vaccinated expats can enter the country and Kuwaiti citizens can only travel if they have received both doses of the vaccine.
Kuwaiti citizens who are exempt from the decision are pregnant women, those who can’t take the vaccine due to medical reasons and children until the age of 12.
Domestic workers who are not vaccinated are allowed to enter Kuwait but need to be quarantined in a hotel for 14 days once they arrive in the country.
