'Put them in the desert': Kuwaiti actress Hayat Al Fahad under fire for telling expatriates to go home

The actress, 71, suggested foreign nationals living in the Gulf state should be forcibly deported amid the coronavirus crisis

Hayat Al Fahad suggested expatriates in Kuwait should be deported amid the coronavirus pandemic. Getty Images

A well-known Kuwaiti actress has caused outrage by suggesting expatriates should be deported from the Gulf country amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Hayat Al Fahad, 71, suggested Kuwaiti hospitals could be overwhelmed by foreign nationals suffering from Covid-19, and urged authorities to take action.

In a telephone interview with Kuwaiti TV station ATV, the Maa' Hest Qalam star stated "we are fed up".

"If we get sick, there are not [enough] hospitals [for us],” Al Fahad said on Tuesday.

“Why, if their countries do not want them, should we deal with them? Aren’t people supposed to leave during crises?"

The Arabic drama actress also suggested expats should be "sent out" or "put in the desert".

"I am not against humanity, but we have reached a stage where we’re fed up," she added.

Kuwait has so far recorded 317 confirmed cases of Covid-19, but no deaths.

The country's Ministry of Health on Wednesday reported some of the newest cases concerned a Kuwaiti citizen who travelled to the UK and two Indian nationals who had visited India.

Eighty-one patients in the country have since recovered from the coronavirus.

Kuwait has taken extensive measures to curb and halt the spread of the virus, and there have been no suggestions the country's health service have been overwhelmed.

Al Fahad's comments were subsequently criticised online, with fans accusing the actress of showing a lack of humanity.

"How many Kuwaitis are outside Kuwait at the moment? Should everyone also apply her logic when it comes to them?" one person posted.

Expatriates account for about 70 per cent of Kuwait’s 4.3 million population, according to official figures.

The country has also announced that it will treat Covid-19 patients, both nationals and foreign nationals for free, according to AFP.