27 Feb 2020; MEMO: Authorities in Kuwait announced on Wednesday 26 February that it would close schools for two weeks at the beginning of March, out of fear of the Coronavirus, after registering infected cases in the country.
Tariq Al-Muzram, head of the Government Communication Centre and government spokesman, said in a press statement that after the extraordinary cabinet meeting ended, it has been decided to suspend classes in all government and private schools and colleges for two weeks, starting from 1 March.
The decision comes after the Ministry of Health announced earlier that the number of people infected with Coronavirus increased to 25 cases after seven new infections were recorded.
The ministry said, through its Twitter account: “We confirm that there are 7 cases of Kuwaiti citizens infected with the Coronavirus, due to travelling to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The ministry pointed out that it had announced earlier, 18 cases of infection, bringing the total number of infected people to 25 cases.
The Ministry of Health confirmed that all the infected citizens are in stable condition; the approved protocols of isolation are being applied, and they are receiving the necessary medical care in a hospital.
Earlier this week, the General Administration of Civil Aviation announced the suspension of all flights with Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Italy and Iran, for fear of the consequences of the Coronavirus.
On Monday, Kuwait decided to stop celebrations of national holidays and sporting activity in the country.
The virus also appeared in another Gulf country, Bahrain, where 26 cases were recorded. Oman also recorded four instances, as of Wednesday morning.
As for Iran, it announced that 19 people died by coronavirus and 139 cases were registered.
The virus appeared in China for the first time on 12 December 2019, in the city of Wuhan (centre), but Beijing revealed it in mid-January.
The World Health Organisation declared earlier a state of emergency on an international scale to confront the outbreak of the virus, which later spread to several countries, causing terror worldwide.
