KUWAIT: Kuwait has so far recorded 56 cases infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which all are for Kuwaiti patients who returned to the country from Iran. All cases are in stable condition and are recovering in quarantined locations designated by the government for this purpose, the Ministry of Health confirmed. Kuwait is taking measures to test Kuwaitis coming from infected areas for potential infection, as it has already tested over 3,000 people, the overwhelming majority of them have returned from Iran.

Countries' ban list
As a precautionary measure against the spread of the virus, Kuwait has suspended flights from and to China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iraq and Iran. In the meantime, Kuwait sent charter flights to bring back Kuwaitis from infected areas, mainly Iran, Italy and Thailand, and test them before entering the country.

Meanwhile, authorities have stopped issuing all kinds of visas (visit, work, etc) for Egyptian nationals, while allowing those who already have a visa to enter only after they take tests in Cairo before coming to Kuwait. Furthermore, Kuwait is requiring expatriates to obtain a complete medical examination (PCR-certificate) confirming that they are free from the coronavirus if they are traveling back to the country from the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, Syria, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Sri Lanka, Georgia and Lebanon. In the meantime, Iraq has suspended flights from Kuwait, whereas Saudi Arabia stopped issuing umrah visas for all nationalities as a precautionary measures.

Precautions
State departments have been on high alert to take precautions against the potential spread of the virus. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry has taken measures to make sure that facial masks, hand sanitizers and other goods remain accessible to the public. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has suspended classes for the first two weeks of March at all public and private schools (for both students and teaching staffs). In the meantime, the Civil Service Commission suspended the biometric fingerprint system for staff attendance until further notice.

Hotlines
The Ministry of Health has set the following hotlines to receive inquiries about the coronavirus 24/7: 24970967 - 96049698 - 99048619.
Meanwhile, the Education Ministry set the following hotlines to receive inquiries on school closures related to the anti-coronavirus measures: 24970967 (24/7 hotline) - 51575591 (Capital Educational Zone) - 51576117 (Hawally Educational Zone) - 51576576 (Farwaniya Educational Zone) - 51577055 (Jahra Educational Zone) - 51577655 (Ahmadi Educational Zone) - 51577951 (Mubarak Al-Kabeer Educational Zone) - 51578171 (Religious Studies Department) - 51588599 (Private Education Department) - 51592515 (Services Department) - 51594544 (Public Relations Department).