Indian expats await end of Kuwait COVID-19 travel ban

Indian expats are wondering when they will be able to go home as all commercial flights between India and Kuwait suspended until further notice.

India is currently witnessing a surge in COVID-19 cases and has an average of 300,000 new infections a day.

Many Indian expats are worried about when they will be able to travel, while others are stuck in limbo as they await to return to Kuwait.

Since March 13, 2020, Indians have been unable to travel directly to Kuwait via commercial airlines as several travel restrictions were put in place, including the travel ban on 35 “high risk countries” which India was included in.

Those looking to return to Kuwait from the banned countries were required to quarantine in a non-banned country for 14 days. However, on February 7, Kuwait imposed a ban barring all non-Kuwaitis from entering Kuwait until further notice.

The recent circular mentioned that all passengers traveling from India are only allowed to enter Kuwait if they quarantine in another country for 14-days prior to their arrival.

Once the decision went into effect, Around 7,000 to 8,000 tickets booked from Kuwait to India between April 24 and May 31 were suspended.

While many people were unprepared, many Indians in Kuwait did not travel home over the fear that they will not be able to come back due to travel restrictions.