Kuwait to close land, sea border in latest COVID restrictions

The closure will not affect shipping operations, while citizens and domestic workers will be allowed to return, the Cabinet says.

The Kuwaiti Health Ministry announced 899 new coronavirus infections on Monday, bringing the total number of cases to 184,989 [File: Yasser Al-Zayyat/AFP]

Kuwait says it will close its land and sea border crossings from Wednesday until further notice as it imposes curbs to control coronavirus infections in the Gulf nation.

Citizens and domestic workers accompanying them are, however, allowed to return through land and sea ports, as are citizens’ first-degree relatives, the cabinet said in its meeting on Monday.

The closure will not affect shipping operations and excludes some domestic workers and people employed in the Saudi Arabia-Kuwait neutral zone.

The Gulf nation barred the entry of non-citizens on Saturday.

The Cabinet also banned dine-in service in restaurants and cafés as part of its latest attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus, as the tiny oil-rich state reported an upward trend in the number of daily infections over the past few weeks.

Earlier this month, Kuwait imposed a new round of restrictions, including a two-week entry ban on non-citizens and a requirement for all travellers to quarantine upon arrival.

Immediate relatives of citizens, such as parents and children, and accompanying domestic workers were exempt from the entry ban.

On Monday, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry announced 899 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of cases to 184,989. The total number of fatalities due to COVID-19 stands at 1,049.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies