Kuwait to drop Covid-19 vaccination and PCR testing requirements for arriving travellers

Wearing masks at indoor and outdoor venues will now be optional, as coronavirus measures eased

Arrivals at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City. Covid-19 vaccine and PCR test requirements are ending for incoming passengers. EPA

Kuwait’s Cabinet on Wednesday agreed to end all coronavirus vaccination and PCR testing requirements for incoming travellers.

At an extraordinary meeting, ministers also decided that wearing masks at indoor and outdoor venues will now be optional, the official Kuna news agency reported.

However, symptomatic Covid-19 patients must still wear masks, Deputy Prime Minister, Oil Minister and State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Mohammad Al Fares said.

People will be allowed access to all public places regardless of their vaccination status, and PCR tests will be no longer mandatory at educational institutions and workplaces, Mr Al Fares said.

The Cabinet also cancelled quarantine restrictions for anyone who may have had close contact with Covid-19 patients. But they will have to wear masks for 14 days and get a PCR test within 14 days of the contact, said the minister.

Unvaccinated fans will also be allowed back into sports stadiums, under the easing of restrictions.

The Cabinet urged worshippers to keep to health guidelines and precautions — including wearing masks and using their own prayer mats — at all mosques and other places of worship.