CNN Philippines (March 12) – Kuwaiti authorities have expanded their travel restrictions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, canceling all commercial flights starting Friday except for those carrying its citizens and domestic workers accompanying them.
Kuwait’s Director General of Civil Aviation Yousef Al Fouzan said in a circular posted on Twitter that their council of ministers will indefinitely suspend all commercial flights, except if they are carrying their citizens with families and employees as well as goods, starting Friday, March 13.
“Commercial flights will be limited to Kuwaiti citizens, their first degree relatives and domestic workers accompanying them. It also allows entry to domestic workers accompanying them.”
“This circular excludes air [freights],” Al Fouzan added.
Al Fouzan also bared the government’s plans of bringing home Kuwaiti citizens overseas.
Non-Kuwaitis are already barred from entering the Gulf state, the circular stated.
On March 8, Kuwait temporarily canceled flights to Philippines, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Sri Lanka. The suspension was supposed to be lifted on Friday. It also called on all nationalities leaving Kuwait to avoid unnecessary travel to these five countries.
As of Thursday, Kuwait recorded 72 cases of COVID-19, without fatality, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Systems Science and Engineering, which follows coronavirus cases across the world.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Wednesday six foreigners have tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting the Philippines. But the travel history of two of them suggests they may have gotten infected in other countries, Duque added.
On the same day, 16 more COVID-19 cases have been recorded by the DOH, bringing the total number to 49 as of Wednesday, with two fatalities.
