KUWAIT CITY, March 4: Financial and Economic Affairs Committee Chairperson MP Safa’a Al- Hashim thanked the ministries of Health, Interior, Commerce and Industry; as well as Kuwait Fire Service Directorate, National Guard and the private sector for their tremendous efforts in confronting coronavirus.

However, she criticized the directive issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) which set March 8 as the start of enforcing the ban on flights from countries with coronavirus cases.

She asked: “Why not start from today?” She asserted the issue is part of national security which necessitates taking utmost procedures, away from political flattery.

She added the rising number of individuals infected with coronavirus in the country is alarming, taking into consideration the population and number of coronavirus cases in other Gulf countries.

Meanwhile, Al-Hashem confirmed that the committee discussed bills on retirees’ loans and social security which were approved by the National Assembly in the first reading and scheduled for voting in the next session. She said the government presented some amendments, but these amendments are limited to phrasing of the bills; indicating the government has adopted a flexible way of dealing with these bills.

She added that although the deduction for loan payment is not expected to be less than 10 percent of the amount of pension, it will definitely be less than 25 percent.

She revealed the government informed the committee about its plan to submit a bill on mortgage, which will be referred to the committee later. Personally, she is cautious about such a bill because she is afraid of the possibility that it could lead to a real estate crisis; similar to what happened in America in 2009. Even if the bill stipulates more options for citizens and retirees, she is not enthusiastic as it could open the door for obtaining loans beyond the borrower’s capacity to pay. She warned the borrower might suffer as a large portion of his salary will be used for payment of different types of loans.

MP seeks week-long delay for students after teachers - Fears over foreign staff

MP Abdulkareem Al-Kandari has suggested that students should return to schools one week later than the teachers, as most of the teachers spent the holidays in their home countries and some of these countries have coronavirus cases. He pointed out that since the symptoms of coronavirus start to manifest one week after infection, delaying the return of students one week after the teachers is an important precautionary measure.
By Saeed Mahmoud Saleh Arab Times Staff