By B Izzak
KUWAIT: The government will meet with lawmakers today to discuss issues related to the Cabinet decision to ease the total lockdown starting from Sunday. The government decided on Monday not to extend the total lockdown imposed from May 10 to 30 and said details of the easing of restrictions will be announced on Thursday following a meeting with MPs. Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Sabah said on Twitter that Kuwait will enter a new phase at the end of the lockdown period, but he did not provide any details.

MPs meanwhile said they want assurances that the decision is based entirely on health considerations and that commercial activities and the economy are not influencing a rushed reopening. MP Saadoun Hammad said lawmakers want to assess assurances on the health situation in the country, adding that the drop in the number of new cases does not mean the disease in on the decline, but because the number of tests conducted was lower.
The lawmakers will also pressure the government to reconsider its decision to provide financial rewards to frontline workers in the health and interior sectors in order to include other sectors, especially cooperative society volunteers. MPs also want to see a government decision on whether schools will reopen to complete the current school year, as a number of lawmakers want the education ministry to scrap the school year.

Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Fahd Al-Afasi meanwhile discussed with top officials in the two ministries about restarting courts and reopening mosques, while observing health measures.
The Audit Bureau meanwhile said that contracts worth KD 863 million were signed by various government agencies since the start of March, about KD 372 million of which were directly related to the coronavirus crisis. The bureau said half of the coronavirus-related contracts were struck by the health ministry. A number of lawmakers had called for an investigation into the contracts signed during the coronavirus crisis.