KUWAIT: Almost 30 US military personnel in Kuwait have tested positive for COVID-19, according to a Defense Department official. Navy Captain William Urban, a CENTCOM spokesman, would not release specific numbers, but confirmed the existence of a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base, reported the US government publications, Air Force Times and military.com.

The US military are employing social distancing and contact tracing in a bid to limit the size of the cluster, according to the reports. Non-essential gatherings have been suspended and set up of dining facilities also changed to adhere to social distancing requirements.

Ahmad Al-Jaber Air Base houses many US airmen, including the Air Force's 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing, which offers a wide range of combat capabilities to US forces in the Levant. US Central Command restricted troops in the Middle East from traveling to other countries in early March to prevent the spread of the virus.