Kuwait considers new Covid measures as daily cases near 3,000 mark

The country has 15,140 active cases with 12 patients in intensive care

People arrive to receive a booster dose of Covid-19 vaccine in Kuwait City. EPA

Kuwait has proposed a return to distance learning for nurseries, schools and universities and denying entry to unvaccinated domestic workers in response to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.

The Cabinet is expected to decide on whether to carry out the recommendations of the Covid-19 Ministerial Emergency Committee on Monday.

The committee also suggested limiting attendance at all public departments and private businesses to 50 per cent of usual capacity.

Kuwait's Ministry of Health reported 2,820 new Covid-19 cases over a 24-hour period on Saturday, setting a record for daily infections for the fourth straight day. Two patients died, raising the country's coronavirus death toll to 2,471.

The country had 15,140 active cases with 12 patients in intensive care, the ministry said.

Tareq Al Mezrem, head of the Centre for Government Communication, told the Kuwait News Agency that the Covid-19 committee's recommendations followed a review of reports from health authorities and updates from heads of government agencies on the global spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Kuwait postponed the Gulf Games, scheduled for January 9 to January 19, due to the rise in Covid-19 cases, with the multi-sport event now scheduled for May 11 to May 21.

The Gulf nation has also banned indoor gatherings starting from January 9 until February 28 over concerns about the rapid spread of the coronavirus.

More than 85 per cent of Kuwait’s population, or 3.2 million people, have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine, Health Ministry figures show.

The Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are among the approved inoculations in the country.