KUWAIT: Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) yesterday decided to allocate the Furdha vegetable market to provide and sell their products to cooperative societies and supermarkets only, in order to avoid gatherings. In a statement, the ministry said that according to the instructions by the Cabinet and health authorities, namely ministerial Resolution No. 87 of 2020 was issued, which stipulates in its second article that the priority of selling should be in order: co-operative societies, markets, restaurants, hotels, and outlets selling agricultural products.

It noted that the ministerial decision came on the instructions of the Ministry of Health that the market should be closed to limit crowding and prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The third article indicated that the decision is effective from the date of its issuance until further notice, it added.

53,000 sheep
Separately, Al-Mawashi livestock transport and trading company announced Friday arrival of 53,000 sheep which were brought from South Africa on board its vessel 'Al-Messilah'. Al-Mawashi CEO Osama Boodai said in a press release local consumers have showed good appetite for the South African sheep which combine taste and value. He said there were two shipments from Australia due to arrive in April. Al-Shuwaikh vessel was already loaded on Monday and the ship was on its way to Kuwait, he added.

Mawashi, said Boodai, would be bringing a total of 115,000 sheep this month which was in compliance with instructions of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to meet consumers' needs. Al-Mawashi, noted Boodai, planned to import 600,000 sheep from South Africa every year in the next three year.

Quarantine zone
In separate news, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) completed and handed over Friday Hall V in the Kuwait International Fairground in Mishref to the Ministry of Health (MoH) to be used as quarantine. The MoD personnel have been working round-the-clock to prepare the quarantine to meet requirements put in place by the MoH which is leading the country's efforts to fighting coronavirus, MoD Acting Undersecretary Sheikh Fahad Jaber Al-Sabah said in a statement. He said the ministry succeeded in finishing the 259-room quarantine in Hall V in three days. Work is underway to prepare Hall VI to be used as quarantine as well.

Teachers' wages
Separately, the Ministry of Education said Thursday that private schools, closed as a preventive measure to prevent spread of coronavirus among students and teachers, should pay salaries of their workers, Ministry of Education said Thursday. The ministry said Law No. 6 of 2010 gave the ministry authority to take legal, financial and administrative measures if private schools failed to pay wages of their employees. The ministry's private education sector would take legal action against any school failing to pay wages of their employees, it said. - KUNA