Kuwait eases Covid-19 restrictions, exempts vaccinated arrivals from institutional quarantine

Kuwait has eased some of its Covid-19 restrictions starting Tuesday, March 23, with the nightly curfew now reduced by one hour, the cabinet has announced.

A 12-hour nightly curfew from 5pm to 5am was imposed on March 7 for one month to curb the rising number of Covid-19 cases.

The curfew timing has been reduced by one hour and will now be in place from 6pm to 5am the next day.

Restaurants and cafes have also been permitted to continue deliveries until 10pm and people are allowed to go walking within their areas from 6pm to 8pm daily, provided they adhere to wearing masks and maintain social distancing, the official Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

Cabinet eases curfew, exempts vaccinated arrivals from hotel quarantine https://t.co/SGDAc5AzNs#KUNA #KUWAIT pic.twitter.com/xIBq25oy7B

— Kuwait News Agency – English Feed (@kuna_en) March 22, 2021

Read: Kuwait begins nightly curfew, mulls lifting institutional quarantine for vaccinated arrivals

Meanwhile the cabinet also announced that vaccinated travellers arriving in the country will also no longer need to undergo the mandatory week-long institutional quarantine. They can quarantine at home, starting Monday.

Those who have taken two doses of the vaccine at least two weeks prior to arrival; those who took one dose five weeks prior to arrival; and those who recovered from Covid-19 and have taken at least one dose of the vaccine two weeks before arrival will now have to spend only seven days in home quarantine.

They will have to undergo a coronavirus test on the seventh day of the quarantine and produce a negative result.

Students from Kuwait studying abroad need to produce a certificate from their universities to be exempt from hotel quarantine, the Cabinet said.

However, the ban on the entry of foreign nationals into the country, imposed on February 7, remains in place.

The only exemptions include foreign diplomats and medical personnel, along with their accompanied family members, and minors below the age of 18. The first-degree relatives and accompanied domestic workers of Kuwaiti nationals are also allowed to enter the country.

Read: Ban on entry of foreigners into Kuwait remains in effect – civil aviation authority