By Hessa Tareq Al-Wagayan

The coronavirus pandemic is an international pandemic affecting everyone's lives. We can't even plan for next week, if we don't know what will happen to us tomorrow. Globally, countries are putting forward efforts to try and minimize this virus's gravity and its rate of transmission, as well as the number of affected individuals.

Politically, people all over the world are looking up to their leaders, seeking help and a reality check, but even the leaders do not know what is going on, or when this outbreak might come to an end. COVID-19, the scientific term for the disease caused by the ongoing coronavirus, is the latest life changing event, topic discussed, and problem faced globally. This virus is the current source of all our current struggles.

Trade, politics, and societies are all affected when it comes to this virus because, instead of combining these things, it separates them by not allowing normal life to resume. Everything related to the COVID-19 outbreak has the world crashing. In the beginning, countries thought it was a "China conflict," but it quickly became a global conflict.

The spread of this infectious disease has killed hundreds of thousands, but what it also affects is our way of living. Locally, Kuwait's stock exchange closed numerous times because it would drop so low that there was no competition in the business sector. Businesses thrive by competing with one another.

The Kuwaiti government has adopted outstanding methods to help their people during this hardship. COVID-19 hit us by surprise, but luckily, our government is doing everything they can for our health and stability. They started with closing schools, and managed to approve online schooling techniques for private institutions, despite difficulties implementing it.

For a while, they closed restaurants, shops, stores, malls, and any place that a group of people could congregate or possibly catch the virus. Kuwait has also updated its citizens about what is happening, by providing several websites where we can track what our country is doing for us, and how many people in Kuwait currently have the virus.

Furthermore, our government has created an app for all citizens (who are expected to be quarantined for 14 days) coming from foreign countries, to take a daily picture of themselves and upload their health status to health specialists. Kuwait has been providing, and will continue to provide all resources and supplies for their citizens and residents, and this is only the beginning!

Our nation didn't look at what the first-world countries were doing, but rather created their very own plan, proving that they put their people first. They didn't focus too much on whether the economy was going down, or what their worldwide reputation was. Strangely, what I've realized is that the countries who are supposed to be experts in dealing with this sort of thing, seem to care less about the well-being of their people, and more about their oil prices and political influencers.

Kuwait has been taking the pandemic seriously since the beginning, and the strictest action they have taken so far is the implementation of a lockdown; this ensures people don't meet up or host events, therefore halting the spread of the virus, especially when Eid approached. Kuwait's strict government issued a lockdown after 5 pm, then after 4 pm when Ramadan started. After that, a full lockdown commenced for 20 days, with two hours being allotted during the afternoon to go out and walk, within a person's area.

I'm honored to call myself a Kuwaiti during this pandemic. My country has always taken care of me, but it is especially apparent during times like these. I am proud of every government agency whose employees are working long hours for the safety and well-being of this country. They are using schools, hospitals, and camps for people to stay in temporarily, whether they have the virus, or are coming from countries that have it, as well as providing them with countless services.

Kuwaitis have also worked as cashiers and helpers at local co-ops, created quarantine regulations for everyone to stay home, and closed certain areas that have been hard-hit by the virus. Kuwait has been aiding everyone. It's a true way of showing who cares and who doesn't, whether it's from higher authorities or the general population.

When the full lockdown was implemented, everyone panicked; we were required to stay at home all day! The only gap we had was from 4:30 - 6:30 pm, but people were allowed to walk outside just within their living area. No bikes, cars, or any sort of transportation was allowed to be used, and you were required to wear masks for protection. You could see the streets filling up by 5:30, because people wanted to walk, be free, and enjoy some fresh air. These two hours gave Kuwaiti and non-Kuwaiti residents a chance to get some peace of mind.

To end this nightmare we call quarantine, we must take the precautions suggested by our government and not break any protocols that could severely affect our health or the health of others. Most Kuwaiti residents have demonstrated impactful efforts in trying to minimize the virus by following Kuwait's rules and regulations. Protecting myself from this virus consists of trying to be careful, and distancing myself from others. Everyone is susceptible to the virus and could be carriers of it, so we should continue to social-distance, even if the stricter regulations have been lifted off of us.

I am proud, and I will always be proud that Kuwait is my nationality. Never have I viewed such alertness, involvement, and guidance from a government, especially during the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Since day one, Kuwait has been determined to put an end to this crisis. Kuwait has displayed so many strengths during this time, and we, as its residents, should uphold that strength. To defeat this virus, we all need to work together toward this common goal. My advice to everyone is to stay healthy, stay safe, and most importantly, stay home.


  • Written during the beginning of the pandemic, end of April