KUWAIT: Kuwait National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem said the parliament session, scheduled for Tuesday, will exclusively discuss draft emergency legislations to scale up the combat against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). "The majority of the other agenda topics of the session will be deferred to dates to be agreed by the MPs and the Assembly's Secretariat," he told reporters at the Assembly yesterday.

The draft laws presented by the government and MPs, including those relating to the state budget have been referred to parliamentary ad hoc committees, he said, noting that the committee would report to the Assembly's Secretariat soon.

"In preparation for Tuesday session, the Assembly has enforced all safety precautions outlined by the Ministry of Health; these include bringing down the attendance of the Secretariat staff to the minimum and cutting short the time of the session," Ghanem disclosed.

He noted that all attendees at the session will undergo COVID-19 tests between 12:00 and 14:00 on Sunday, urging the MPs to set good example for the public and abide by the precautions for big gatherings. He expressed hope that the session would agree the necessary laws for addressing the current health emergency posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ghanem praised as positive the cooperation between the executive and legislative authorities and the efforts of all state agencies to overcome the pandemic. On Wednesday, Ghanem said the government tabled a draft amendment to Article 17 of Act 8 (1969) regarding the prerequisites of the public health and prevention against communicable diseases, as well as draft laws to launch an emergency response fund and a crisis management agency. - KUNA