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ICSG payment aids families of deceased domestic workers in Kuwait

Serving as an umbrella organization for several Indian associations, the ICSG coordinated procurement and distribution of food hampers in a transparent and efficient manner…reports Asian Lite News

Indian Community Support Group (ICSG), established in 2020 with support and guidance from the Indian Embassy in Kuwait, will make an ex-gratia payment of Rs100,000 (approx KD 400) to the families of domestic workers who succumbed to the COVID-19 infection in Kuwait.

Announcing the humanitarian gesture during a recent open-house interaction with the community, Indian Ambassador H.E. Sibi George said the ICSG initiative deserves the full support and appreciation of the Indian community in Kuwait.

More than 540 Indian expatriates have so far succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in many families losing their sole breadwinner. The ICSG officials, who were appointed by the Indian embassy to help the community during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, have been at the forefront in helping the Indian community by distributing hundreds of thousands of food rations to needy individuals and to families during the lockdown last year with the help of Al Najat Charity

Indian Ambassador H.E. Sibi George Pic credit: Twitter@indembkwt

Serving as an umbrella organization for several Indian associations, the ICSG coordinated procurement and distribution of food hampers in a transparent and efficient manner.

Recently ICSG also was actively involved in the air-sea bridge set up between the Governments of Kuwait and India to transport emergency medical assistance including oxygen cylinders and cryogenic tanks to help India overcome the sudden shortage of oxygen in several cities across India.

The Indian government expressed its appreciation and wholehearted support to Kuwait for their timely help in saving thousands of lives.

Chairman of ICSG, Rajpal Tyagi expressed the committee’s willingness to help distressed Indians affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and added the Group aims to ensure the wellbeing of all Indian nationals in Kuwait. He pointed out that members of ICSG were prominent and responsible members in the community, who could always be counted on to rise to any occasion that called for support to compatriots.

The ICSG committee members include Rajpal Tyagi, K.S. Lamba, Dhiraj Oberoi, S.K. Wadhawan, Ashok Kalra, Dr. Amir Ahmed, Jatinder Suri, Dr. S. Nayak, Choji Lamba, Ajai Goel, T. Remesh and Reaven D’Souza

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Kuwait starts receiving vaccinated expats

The Kuwait Airport has received eight flights carrying 739 people on board in nine hours since the entry ban was lifted…reports Asian Lite News

The Kuwait Airport has started receiving expatriates who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 after months of an entry ban imposed in the wake of the pandemic.

Abdullah Al-Bakhsh, monitor of Projects and Planning in the Engineering Department of Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, said in a statement that the first flights carrying expats arrived on Sunday midnight, reports Xinhua news agency.

The Kuwait Airport has received eight flights carrying 739 people on board in nine hours since the entry ban was lifted, he added.

Ibrahim Al-Sayed, an Egyptian resident who arrived in Kuwait from Cairo via transit through Lebanon, told Xinhua that the arrival procedures were very simple and he met his family members who were waiting for him at the airport.

Alia Noor Al-Ddine from Lebanon also reunited with her husband in Kuwait.

Al-Ddine said she had been forced to move between Dubai and Lebanon to follow up on her work and now she returned to Kuwait after a long wait.

For Suad Ghandoura, also an Egyptian resident, her joy was indescribable when she saw her children after months of separation.

Things were very smooth and there was no difficulty during the entry process, especially since she has got the second dose of a vaccine, Ghandoura said.

Arrivals must present the result of a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure.

When they land in Kuwait, they must be quarantined at home for seven days, if they want to end the quarantine early, they must have a negative PCR test result on the third day.

According to Deputy Director-general for Kuwait International Airport Affairs Saleh Al-Fadaghi, the health authorities limit the number of arrivals at the airport to about 1,000 per day.

The country decided in February to stop the entry of non-Kuwaitis to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

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Vaccinated non-citizens can return to Kuwait from August

Kuwait decided in February to stop the entry of non-citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus….reports Asian Lite News

Kuwait will lift the entry ban for vaccinated non-citizens from August, the government announced.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, government spokesman Tareq Al-Mezrem said the inbound travellers must present a certificate of Covid-19 vaccination to enter the country, reports Xinhua news agency.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti citizens will not be able to travel outside the country unless they have received two doses of the vaccine approved by the Ministry of Health, he added.

In addition, those who have been vaccinated will be allowed into malls, gyms, salons, and restaurants from June 27, Al-Mezrem said.

Kuwait decided in February to stop the entry of non-citizens to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Kuwait has so far reported 334,216 coronavirus cases and 1,842 deaths.

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Kuwait, Bahrain authorise new drug for Covid-19

The GSK and Vir Biotechnology created drug can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19…reports Asian Lite News

Kuwait and Bahrain have approved the use of Sotrovimab a monoclonal antibody drug against Covid-19, developed by GlaxoSmithKline and Vir, which claims to reduce hospitalisation and death among Coronavirus patients by 85 per cent and is also effective against the variants.

The GSK and Vir Biotechnology created drug can be used for the treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19, state agencies KUNA and Bahrain News Agency reported.

Research has shown the use of the drug leads to a reduction in the number of cases requiring hospitalization for more than 24 hours and a reduction in the number fatalities by 85 percent, when administered at an early stage of treatment.

Meanwhile Kuwait has also announced on Wednesday a $40 million donation to COVAX, the international program designed to help supply developing countries with vaccines against the disease, KUNA said.

Last week, the UAE became the first country to approve the emergency use of Sotrovimab.

This was after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave an emergency use authorisation to the antibody treatment.

The UAE has authorised the emergency use of the drug for the treatment of patients aged 12 years or older with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease who are at risk of progression to hospitalisation or death. In pre-clinical studies, Sotrovimab has demonstrated effectiveness as a monotherapy against widely circulating variants of the disease.

 “Such a new qualitative achievement would not have been possible had it not been for the UAE leadership’s keenness to proactively address the pandemic, attract and provide innovative medicines that prove effective and efficient, and adopting them as treatment protocols,” said Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Mohammad bin Nasser Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention.

“The new medicine will greatly contribute to speeding up the recovery of patients, reducing Covid-19-related deaths and hospitalization period in intensive care units. It will also support the country’s efforts being made to conduct Covid-19 tests and administer vaccines, retaining its leading position among the world’s foremost countries, dealing efficiently with the Covid-19 pandemic,” the minister said.

The drug has shown positive results among patients 65 years of age and older or individuals who have certain medical conditions and are at high risk for progression to severe Covid-19, including hospitalisation or death.

Laboratory tests have shown that Sotrovimab is able to neutralise the current circulating variants of Covid first reported in the UK, South Africa, Brazil, California, New York and India.

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Kuwait lifts bar on visas for Pak citizens

This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah…reports Asian Lite News

After a ten-years of suspension, Kuwait on Sunday announced the resumption of visas, including in family and business categories for Pakistani citizens.

This decision was taken after a meeting between Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, reported The Express Tribune.

It further reported that Kuwait had banned work visas for Pakistan in 2011 and despite attempts by previous governments the restrictions could not be lifted.

In March 2017, the then government had also announced the lifting of the ban by Kuwait during the visit of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to the oil-rich country. However, the decision was never implemented.

The interior minister said that Pakistani families and the business community faced enormous problems with the ban on Kuwaiti visa, adding that Pakistani labour played a very important role in Kuwait’s early development, The Express Tribune reported.

He said that the restoration of work visa will create new employment opportunities for Pakistanis, adding that it would also boost trade between the two countries. (ANI)

ALSO READ: 2 injured as fire erupts at Kuwait’s largest oil field

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2 injured as fire erupts at Kuwait’s largest oil field

2 injured as fire erupts at Kuwait's largest oil field

Burgan is among the world’s largest producing fields, ranked second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field….reports Asian Lite News

Two workers were injured after a fire erupted at Kuwait’s largest oil field on Monday, the country’s state-run news agency reported.

The injured workers were in stable condition and receiving treatment at a nearby hospital, according to the state-run KUNA news agency, citing Qusai al-Amer, the Kuwait Oil Company spokesman.

The blaze at the Great Burgan Field in the southeastern desert of Kuwait, which produces over 1.6 million barrels of oil a day, did not impact production, the report said.

Burgan is among the world’s largest producing fields, ranked second only to Saudi Arabia’s Ghawar Field.

Kuwait has the world’s sixth-largest known oil reserves. Most of the country’s production comes from a single field, Burgan.

Earlier this month, Kuwait government had announced that citizens who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 will be banned from travelling abroad.

The restriction will come into force from May 22, Xinhua news agency reported.

The government last week announced that pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding and children under 16 are not subject to the curb.

Meanwhile, the previous decree of banning non-Kuwaitis from entering the country will continue.

The government has decided to extend the partial curfew, running from 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time, until the end of Ramadan.

Also read:Curfew extended in Kuwait until Ramadan end

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Curfew extended in Kuwait until Ramadan end

People wearing face masks work at a shopping mall in Farwaniya Governorate, Kuwait

The curfew hours will remain unchanged, from 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting from Thursday until the end of Ramadan…reports Asian Lite News

Kuwait will extend the ongoing partial curfew until the end of Ramadan as part of the country’s efforts to curb the further spread of Covid-19, the government announced.

According to a decision made at a regular meeting of the government on Monday, the curfew hours will remain unchanged, from 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., starting from Thursday until the end of Ramadan.

Minister of Health Bassel Al-Sabah said at the meeting that there is an increase in deaths and infections with more people in intensive care units (ICUs).

The decision may be re-assessed with the regular review of the pandemic situation, Foreign Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Sabah said after the meeting.

The government also urged residents and citizens to assume social responsibility and get the Covid-19 vaccine, saying it is the only way to reduce deaths and infections as well as pressure on ICUs.

On April 1, the Kuwaiti government decided to further shorten the curfew by one hour to last between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., and allow walk inside residential areas between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. from April 8 to April 22.
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