Kuwait reminds people to adhere to curfew

A view shows a deserted street in Kuwait city during the 20-day nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on May 11, 2020. (File/AFP)

• The full curfew started on March 11, but people were allowed to leave their homes for two hours each day
• The foreign ministry said on Monday it was ready to start working on the repatriation of Kuwaiti nationals from Saudi Arabia

DUBAI: People in Kuwait have been told to follow curfew restrictions and abide by the health authority instructions, state news agency KUNA reported citing the Kuwait Government.
Coronavirus cases have increased due to the failure to abide by social distancing, health minister Sheikh Bassel Al-Sabah said in an online briefing. But the health situation, he added, was under control and “the number of infections is expected to decline after the implementation of the full curfew in the country.”
The full curfew started on March 11, but people were allowed to leave their homes for two hours each day between 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The Kuwait Municipality has also announced that it will allow grocery stores to deliver items to nearby residents during the curfew. It said that only stores located in investment areas can take advantage of this decision and deliver commodities to customers during the morning shift from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the night shift from 8 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.
Meanwhile, Kuwait has continued repatriating its citizens from abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic. The foreign ministry said on Monday it was ready to start working on the repatriation of Kuwaiti nationals from Saudi Arabia through the land checkpoint Al-Nuwaiseeb.
The ministry said the operation will take place between May 12 and 20. He also said the foreign ministry and the Kuwait embassy in Riyadh had begun to register names of citizens seeking to return back to their home country.