KUWAIT: His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah commended Tuesday cooperation with the National Assembly in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Kuwait's parliament has done tremendous work, issuing laws for tackling this important matter, His Highness the Prime Minister said.

Delivering his address at the end of the regular session of parliament, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled affirmed that the MPs had carried out their duty to protect cities during this alarming situation. He called on citizens and residents alike to abide by the measures put by the state and parliament to protect the country from spread of the coronavirus, saying that following such measures will help all to overcome the disease.

The parliament approved on Tuesday a draft resolution concerning amendments to laws connected with protection from contagious diseases. Deliberations saw 56 of the 57 MPs in attendance agreeing to the draft laws, while one member voting against the amendments. The proposed modifications toughen legal action against individuals contracting disease and not complying with preventative regulations. Those spreading contagion willingly will face 10 years' imprisonment, a KD 30,000 fine (approximately $95,000), or both punishments. Any other violation is punishable with a three-month imprisonment, KD 5,000 fine (some $15,000), or both.

Painful scenes
His Highness the Prime Minister also stressed the importance of learning from the lessons and painful scenes "that we all are witnessing in many countries" as a result of the spread of coronavirus, stressing on the need for everyone to continue to cooperate with the government to protect public health in Kuwait.

"We are closing on the first month since the start of the crisis and we are now in the second month, and we all know that we are facing a crisis that does not have a specific time limit, and we must continue with our preventive measures to protect public health in Kuwait from this dangerous pandemic," His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said in a speech during the session.

"We should learn from other experiences, and to spare our country from sliding into chaos," His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said, calling for a continuing cooperation with all parties involved which are combating COVID-19. The premier thanked the Kuwaiti people and residents in the country for their cooperation and commitment to health instructions, especially staying indoors and avoiding gatherings.

Kuwait Amir's
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem expressed thanks to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his directives and successful management of the coronavirus outbreak crisis. During the session, Ghanem voiced great appreciation of the tremendous efforts exerted by His Highness the Prime Minister and his team to fight the coronavirus challenge.

Ghanem also apprised Kuwaiti people unity and their support for their political leadership and government to implement all preventive and precautionary measures to contain the virus. He also sincerely thanked the MPs for their cooperation, support and sublimation, above any differences, to stand as one team with the government and the Kuwaiti people.

In the meantime, Ghanem pointed to the parliament approval to amend the law related to health precautions to prevent communicable diseases and to propose a law to amend the decree law to issue the law of civil and commercial pleadings within a week instead of a month according to Article (65) of the constitution to deal with the current conditions in the country. Ghanem noted that he urged the parliamentary committees to hold its meetings according to the health procedures and with the least number of attendees to accomplish the largest number of laws so that they can be approved once the sessions are back. - KUNA