KUWAIT CITY, Oct 22: With continuing efforts to combat the COVID-19 spread and its repercussions, and the recent call by Cabinet urging the public to strictly adhere to all instructions and guidelines to reduce the rate of infection and risks for a second wave of the pandemic, sources said the previous months Kuwait lived, especially in the early days of the crisis, caused concerned authorities to draw a road map for the dealing with the crisis, reports Al-Rai daily.

In this regard, Ministry of Commerce and Industry perused the views of relevant authorities – foremost of which is the Kuwait Catering Company and the Union of Cooperative Societies, its pre-preparedness to cover any shortage in food and health products, in the event of a second wave of coronavirus that involves two scenarios; the disruption of commodity supply flows around the world and their complete halt.

The same sources affirmed that “the state has a stock of basic food commodities with a long-term validity ranging from 6 to 12 months, and may exceed one year. It also have a large balance of all food commodities sufficient to cover any withdrawals.” They indicated that concerned authorities have shown wide satisfaction with their ability to absorb any scenario, even the worst, thanks to the durability of the strategic reserve that is constantly strengthened at rates higher than normal.

Also, it was agreed to continue implementing the contingency plans of the Ministry of Commerce that were approved at the beginning of the spread of COVID-19, especially as it proved to be effective in covering the broad consumer demand and absorbing very high purchases, unmatched by any exposure to either the supply or the stock balance.

Official data obtained by the daily showed that Kuwait imported about 26,317 tons of fresh, chilled and frozen meat from March to September. In the same period, fresh, chilled and frozen chicken imported were about 86,762 tons. Regarding the livestock, Kuwait imported 2.128 million and 75,510 tons of onions during the period, with a daily stock of 2,023 tons, in addition to 828,235 million masks, and 33,178 tons of tomatoes, and 18,420 tons of lemons.