KUWAIT 

As part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Kuwait will temporarily not allow Gulf citizens to enter the country using their national identity cards, Kuwait’s Interior Ministry said on Thursday.

“The decision excludes Kuwaitis who are abroad and exited on their identity cards,” the ministry said in a statement.

The exemption also applies to citizens of members states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) who are in Kuwait and entered on their identity cards, the statement said. 

The GCC member states are Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait.

Earlier this week, Kuwait cancelled events planned to mark its national day and anniversary of liberation, while also suspending all flights to Singapore and Japan. 

It has also evacuated around 800 citizens from Iran, where 26 deaths from COVID-19 have been reported.

With a total of 43 cases, Kuwait is among over 35 countries which account for the nearly 80,000 COVID-19 cases confirmed around the world.

The global death toll is nearly 2,800, and China, where the outbreak originated, is the worst-hit, with more than 78,000 cases and over 2,700 fatalities.

The World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international health emergency and said the global risk level remains high.

*Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara