KUWAIT, May 10, (Agencies): Kuwait’s Cabinet decided on Monday that the partial curfew, imposed across the country to combat the spread of COVID-19, will be lifted on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr. The decision will take into effect as of 1:00 am, Government Communication Center head Tariq Al-Mezrim said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, all commercial establishments will be ordered to shut from 8:00 pm until 5:00 am, the next day. Pharmacies, supermarkets, healthcare providers, restaurants, cafes and maintenance services are excluded from the decision, until further notice.

The Cabinet’s decision to permit cinemas and theaters to open in Eid will only allow the entry of people who have been vaccinated. Restaurants and cafes will be allowed to receive orders but only for takeaways at their doorstep, he added. With regard to the physical attendance of employees at public and privately-run workplaces, he said that the ratio should not exceed 60 percent. This decision will take effect from Monday, May 17, until further notice, following the Eid holiday, he said, with any later increase to this number to be decided by the Civil Service Commission.

Separately, the Cabinet barred direct commercial flights, until further notice, with Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, with the exception of cargo planes. The nationals of these four South Asian countries will also be denied entry into Kuwait, regardless of whether their arrival is on a direct or transit flight unless they have spent 14 days in a third country before heading for Kuwait, this decision stands until further notice.

Status
An official source at the British embassy said the United Kingdom has not changed Kuwait’s status on the list of countries which can enter the UK directly by adhering to the health conditions. In response to a question the Al-Seyassah daily if Kuwait has moved from the ‘yellow’ to another list recently, the source clarified saying this has not happened since the time the lists were announced. The source said some countries have been placed on the ‘red’ list but Kuwait continues to be on the yellow list. The source added Kuwaitis and those holding visas of all kinds are still permitted to enter Britain directly but they are subjected to 10-day quarantine period which is at the expense of the traveler, provided they produce a negative PCR certificate and perform two more checks on the second and eighth day of entry into Britain.

The source said Britain welcomes Kuwaitis and residents in light of the continued issuance of visas and not being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that operating the flights is in the hands of the Kuwaiti health authorities, and that Britain does not mind direct flights to and from Kuwait, and the embassy has no say in this matter. The Cabinet has approved the request of the Ministry of Health to exclude doctors and nursing staff from preventive health measures when they return to the country after handling over patients to countries designated for their treatment abroad reports Al-Anba daily The request, a copy of which has been obtained by the daily, stated that the request was for exempting them from taking swabs through Traveler application.