In response to the ongoing measures against the spread of Covid-19 in Kuwait including community quarantines in Kuwait, three telcos in Kuwait have offered daily 5 gigabytes free internet for one month for their subscribers.
The initiative will extremely be crucial for citizens and residents as the country has also enforced a nationwide curfew to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak within the Gulf State as there are now a total of 176 cases of coronavirus reported.
Kuwait Telcos Provide Free 5 Gb Daily Data Use for a Month
According to the Kuwaiti government’s spokesperson, Tareq Al-Mazrem, the Communication and Information Regulatory Authority (CITRA) agreed with the three mobile companies to provide the free service starting Sunday, March 22, as shared in a report by the Arab Times Online.
According to the announcement, aside from free internet, the company will also provide free calls for the same period.
Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti government imposed a partial 11-hour curfew starting Sunday (March 22) from 5 pm to 4 am the next day.
Commenting on the update, Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Anas Al-Saleh said “Regrettably, non-compliance with the Ministry of Health’s instructions to stay indoors forced the government to impose the curfew.“
In line with this, Al-Saleh added that the Civil Defense Committee would be issuing IDs for persons working in vital sectors so that they will be allowed to move during the curfew.
Earlier this month, all Muslims in Kuwait have been instructed to pray at home instead of going to the mosque, as health authorities in the country struggle to contain the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Because of this, all congregational and weekly Friday prayers at Kuwait’s mosques were temporarily suspended by the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs starting March 13.
Despite the ban on congregational prayers, muezzins will continue to make the call. Videos of the amended adhan have since gone viral on social media platforms.
This is one of the first few bans set in place by the Kuwaiti government as Gulf states have begun stepping up precautionary measures to fight the spread of the new coronavirus.
In other related news, MP Majid Al-Mutairi called on owners of real estate and homes to exempt tenants from paying rent under the current circumstances.
Al-Mutairi explained, “In light with the exceptional circumstance we live in due to the repercussions of the coronavirus, we hope that the kind-hearted people from the owners of real estate, buildings and homes stand with our Bedoun brothers and exempt the tenant from paying the rent.”
Meanwhile, to contain the further spread of the coronavirus within communities, shopping malls were shut down except for those selling food and grocery items. Even those children’s entertainment centers were shut down to curb the spread of the virus.
Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are making all the drastic decisions to stop the spread of the pandemic. They have canceled all international flights and didn’t reveal how long it will last.
According to the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC), production and export operations were exempted from the government’s decision to suspend work in governmental institutions.
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