KUWAIT: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Anas Al-Saleh said Friday the Civil Defense Committee is in permanent session to tackle the risks posed by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). "The safety of public health is the top priority because citizens are the real riches of the country," he said in a statement released by the Interior Ministry's General Directorate of Security Relations and Media following a meeting by the interagency Committee. The meeting, chaired by Saleh, also gathered Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah and Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry and Head of the Committee Lt Gen Essam El-Nahham as well as other senior officials.

Saleh commended the efforts of competent state bodies that "mobilized their human and technical resources to fend off the COVID-19 risks and protect the safety of all citizens and residents," according to the statement. The meeting reviewed the precautionary measures implemented by the various state bodies, and ways to maximize benefit from their cooperation and reach the desired targets.

Saleh highlighted the need to continue the public awareness campaign to educate the citizens and residents about the preventive measures and refute fake news and rumors being circulated on some mass media. The urged reliance on the official sources such as the websites of the Ministry of Interior and other government bodies for credible news. During the meeting Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah affirmed that the Ministry of Health continues keeping a close watch on the developments of COVID-19 infections and screening the arrivals from areas hit by the virus.

"We are in contact with the World Health Organization (WHO) to keep updated on the developments of the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide and adopt the necessary precautions to prevent its spread in Kuwait," the statement quoted the minister as saying. Sheikh Dr Basel noted that the Kuwaiti government suspended all flights to some neighboring countries to stem the spread of the infections to Kuwait and protect the public health.

Representatives of the different state bodies to the Committee reviewed the progress of interagency cooperation and their respective plans for guarding against the COVID-19 spread around the clock. The meeting gathered representatives of the ministries of Defense, Interior, Health, Foreign Affairs, Information, Finance, Education, and Social Affairs, as well as the Kuwait National Guard, the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, the Kuwait Red Crescent Society, the Public Authority for Food and Nutrition, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the General Administration of Customs and Kuwait News Agency. - KUNA