By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: During this exceptional situation, various public authorities are issuing important notices for the public. The ministry of interior (MOI) announced registrations and cancelations of voter for the upcoming elections have been postponed until further notice. During their random inspection on roads in various areas, traffic department patrols issued 624 fines, including 132 to trucks, 17 vehicles for carrying passengers and 29 to taxis. Three vehicles were seized.

The Ministry of Interior (MoI) also denied rumors on social media including about the imposition of a curfew and large fines for violating it, the death of a prisoner at the Central Prison from coronavirus, a man found on the street in Farwaniya who was suffering from pain in his back and not from coronavirus, and other rumors.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced closing 14 stores for violating the law, seven of them in Shuwaikh, taking the total number of shuttered stores to 98, including pharmacies, shops and companies. Inspectors from the consumer protection department are inspecting businesses daily. As of Saturday, they inspected supermarkets, co-ops, butchers, bakeries, subsidized food branches, fish and fruit and vegetable markets. They also inspected pharmacies and other shops.

After the chaos that saw large numbers of people rushing to supermarkets and panic buying food following the announcement of suspending work in the public sector, bread and other commodities ran out of stock. But they were replaced the next morning. But the shortage of Arabic bread is still continuing at all co-ops and supermarkets. According to the director of Salwa Co-op, Arabic bread sold out after 30 minutes of being delivered by the bakery.

Although the Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Company announced increasing its production from 4 million daily up to 7 million pieces, bread gets immediately sold out. When asked why doesn't the co-op order more bread when demand is so high, he answered the company only allows a certain quantity for each co-op. The center for government communication also posted information, advice, instructions and important numbers on fighting rumors, home quarantine instructions, how the virus spreads, etc.