Kuwait bans Filipinos, other foreign travelers


March 07, 2020
 

By

Cristina Lee-Pisco
 
People's Journal

THE Government of Kuwait has suspended flights to and from the Philippines and six other countries as precautionary measure to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued Circular No. 27, temporarily suspending flights from Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon, and Egypt effective March 6 “until one week.”
“All arrivals in the State of Kuwait from any nationality who have a valid residency or previous entry visa, as well as those from other airports who were present in the countries mentioned above during the past two weeks, are prohibited,” according to the Kuwaiti Circular.
Kuwaiti citizens “coming from these countries are allowed to enter, provided that the necessary quarantine procedures are applied to them.”
On March 3, the Kuwaiti DGCA issued Circular No. 25 which requires Kuwaiti-bound travelers from the Philippines and nine other countries to present medical certificates stating they are free of Covid-19. The circular was however withdrawn after three days.
Stay home
The DFA yesterday advised all Filipinos planning to undertake pilgrimages to the Holy Land to postpone their trips until further notice due to concerns about the spread of coronavirus 19 (COVID-19).
The Palestinian Authority has decided to temporarily ban the entry of all tourists into the West Bank, including Bethlehem and Jericho.
In addition, the Israeli government also decided to restrict all travels to Bethlehem from Israel.
Prospective travelers are therefore advised to coordinate with their tour operators to avoid any inconvenience.
As of March 6, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said COVID-19 cases have been reported in the following continents:
Africa: Algeria (17), Senegal (4), Egypt (3), Morocco (2), Nigeria (1), South Africa (1) and Tunisia (1).
Asia: China (80 667), South Korea (6 284), Iran (3 513), Japan (349), Singapore (117), Kuwait (58), Bahrain (52), Malaysia (50), Thailand (47), Taiwan (44), Iraq (38), India (29), United Arab Emirates (29), Israel (17), Lebanon (16), Oman (16), Vietnam (16), Qatar (8), Palestine* (7), Pakistan (5), Saudi Arabia (5), Philippines (3), Indonesia (2), Afghanistan (1), Bhutan (1), Cambodia (1), Jordan (1), Nepal (1) and Sri Lanka (1).
America: United States (233), Canada (45), Ecuador (13), Brazil (8), Mexico (5), Chile (4), Argentina (2), and Dominican Republic (1).
Europe: Italy (3 858), France (423), Germany (400), Spain (261), United Kingdom (115), Switzerland (87), Norway (86), Netherlands (82), Sweden (61), Belgium (50), Austria (41), Iceland (35), Greece (32), San Marino (22), Denmark (20), Ireland (13), Czech Republic (12), Finland (12), Croatia (10), Georgia (9), Portugal (9), Azerbaijan (6), Belarus (6), Romania (6), Slovenia (6), Estonia (5), Russia (4), Bosnia And Herzegovina (2), Hungary (2), Andorra (1), Armenia (1), Latvia (1), Liechtenstein (1), Lithuania (1), Luxembourg (1), Monaco (1), North Macedonia (1), Poland (1) and Ukraine (1).
Oceania: Australia (59) and New Zealand (4).

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