COVID-19: Vaccinated Kuwaitis exempt from quarantine upon arrival

Kuwait City: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced that as of Saturday May 22 vaccinated Kuwaitis are exempt from quarantine as long as they provide a negative PCR test within three days of their arrival date.

Saad Al Obtaibi, the spokesman for the DGCA, clarified that all travellers must pay for one PCR test via the Kuwait Mosafer application before boarding the flight. Then if within three days the PCR test comes back negative, the passenger may leave home quarantine.

The decision applies to all Kuwaitis that are vaccinated, including citizens that have gotten COVID-19 less than 90 days and those that have received their first dose more than two weeks ago.

Al Otaibi said that Kuwait has approved the following vaccines and thus anybody that has taken them are exempt from quarantine: Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.

Based on the government’s decision earlier this month, starting on Saturday all Kuwaitis that are not vaccinated are barred from travelling.

Those who are permitted to travel are the following: (i) those who have got both doses and two weeks have passed since the second dose; (ii) those who have got one dose and five weeks have passed; and (iii) those who have got the first dose then got COVID-19 can travel two weeks after testing positive.

Al Otaibi pointed out that those that are exempt from the decision are: pregnant women, those that have a certificate from the Ministry of Health stating their inability to receive the vaccine due to health conditions, children under the eligible age, students studying abroad and members of the diplomatic core.

Since February 7, non-Kuwaitis have been barred from entering Kuwait, even those that are vaccinated or have valid residency permits. The decision is in effect until further notice.

Several expats are either stuck abroad unable to return to Kuwait, while others do not want to travel as it is unclear when the ban will be removed