Kuwait urges vigilance in New Year festivities

Kuwait has urged vigilance in gatherings marking the New Year amid COVID-19 concerns after the country detected several cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The Health Ministry cautioned against “unsafe” gatherings and urged foreign communities to exercise “vigilance and cautions” during their religious congregations, citing the latest developments in the global and local epidemiological situation.

The Kuwaiti Interior Ministry has coordinated with churches in the country to handle the entry and exit of worshippers to head off crowding as part of a plan to limit the Omicron spread, according to Al Rai newspaper, citing security sources.

Each of the seven churches in the country will operate at half capacity and allow entry according to prior appointments, it added. Attendance is divided into two to three appointments based on the numbers of followers to avoid crowding inside the churches.

“The ministry is prepared to handle any potential increases in infections in the next days,” the sources said.

“Obtaining the booster shot is considered one of the most protective methods against the new variant, especially as we are about to enter the month of January, a season of viral diseases,” they added.

Around 313,000 people have so far received the booster jabs in Kuwait, Al Rai newspaper reported, quoting health figures.

Some 81.8 per cent of Kuwait’s population are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, it added.