Manama: Kuwait cabinet has decided to lift the ban to travel abroad and permit citizens and residents to travel to and from the country starting August 1, the government communication centre said on Twitter on Thursday.
But, the decision excludes residents coming from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Iran and Philippines. Expats from these seven countries will not be allowed to enter the country until further orders.
Later in the day, the Civil Aviation Directorate clarified that expats of these seven countries could enter Kuwait if they stayed a permitted country for 14 days prior to their travel to Kuwait.
On Wednesday, Kuwait's civil aviation directorate announced that airlines operating out of Kuwait International Airport (KIA) would resume commercial flights to destinations in 20 countries including India from August 1. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the countries which had been selected to resume flight operations were: the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Qatar, Jordan, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the UK, Turkey, Switzerland, Germany, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Ethiopia.
But the very next day, the decision was amended, and placed the seven countries, including India and Pakistan on travel bans.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation also issued a list of approved medical centres in 10 countries including India where passengers are able to obtain a health certificate prior to their arrival to Kuwait.
All passengers arriving in Kuwait are required to provide a health certificate from one of the approved medical centres proving they tested negative for COVID-19. The test should be done up to 96 hours prior to departure.
Kuwait suspended all international flights to and from the country on March 4 to curb the spread of coronavirus, with the exception of repatriation flights.
The new decision, banning travelers from seven countries, will adversely affect thousands of expats who were stranded in India and other third world countries. They were unable to return to Kuwait due to the coronavirus lockdown.
As of July 31, Kuwait has confirmed 66,529 coronavirus cases, 56,467 recoveries and 444 deaths
