CORONAVIRUS:KUWAIT OFW QUARANTINE DAY #07 -The Peril of International Flights

March 18, 2020, Wednesday

“When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.”

Henry Ford

 The invention of air transportation made everyone’s lives easier, for it can take us to great distances across the globe. However, with the existence of COVID-19 disease, it quickly transported the virus across the countries. In Kuwait, the Ministry of Health reported 12 new COVID-19 cases with three recoveries this Wednesday, March 18, 2020. It brings to a total record of 142 cases with 15 recoveries in the country. 

Within the cases, eight of them are Kuwaiti citizens who have travel history to the United Kingdom, two Kuwait citizens who had contact with cases traveling to the United Kingdom, 1 Kuwait citizen that was under investigation, and 1 Kuwait citizen who have travel history to Switzerland. Currently, there are 127 active cases of COVID-19 disease. Compared to yesterday, the new number of cases increased.

For the implementation of home quarantine, the Kuwait Minister of Social Affairs Maryam Al-Aqeel confirmed that the authorities appointed teams to inspect any violators against the guideline. They will give legal actions to those who violated the said guidelines. He further said that the formation of these teams is part of the government’s decision to halt the spread of the disease. If any people would go to their working places despite being instructed to stay home, it will result in the closure of the respective places and penalization to those people.

 On top of that, the Health Ministry Spokesman Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad announced that it is still unknown whether the rising of the country’s temperature affects the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. He has clarified that there is no reliable research proving its correlation. With this, the ministry, together with the authorities continue to be vigilant. He assures that there are 105 clinics working day and night in hopes of reducing the spread of the virus. 

The Health Ministry released an announcement to the citizens and residents of Kuwait that arrived in the country from London. They will ask the passengers aboard in Flight No.102 on March 7, 2020, Flight No. 0735 on March 8, 2020, and Flight No.157 on March 9, 2020, to come on the exhibition grounds in Mishref area in Wednesday of March 18, 2020. They are available from 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

These are the Health Ministry’s efforts in identifying the COVID-19 virus in the arriving citizens of the country. It is good to know that they conducted contact tracing and medical examination to the passengers. Through this way, they can identify people infected with the virus and isolate them immediately.

On top of that, a citizen from Abbassiya shares his story about compassion amid this crisis. It was yesterday when he found a packet of goods on the doorstep of his flat. It contained dal and tea powder, rice, sugar, macaroni, and salt. The owner of the building heartily gave it to the tenants as he made sure that each of them had their packet of goods. Talal Alghanim & Sons Real Estate Company owns its building.               

 Therefore, he concluded that while the lessons of humanity and mercy are being carried out by the political leaders of Kuwait, this act of kindness gave him joy as he witnesses the citizens following the path of generosity laid by their leaders. It further shows that even at the peak of this crisis, compassion is the prime characteristic demonstrated in the country of Kuwait. 

In the Philippines, the Department of Health reported 15 new COVID-19 cases with five deaths and three recoveries. It brings to a total record of 202 cases with 17 confirmed deaths and seven recovered cases. Compared to yesterday, the new number of cases in the country decreased.

Due to the ongoing implementation of enhanced community quarantine in Luzon, the authorities reported that health workers are having difficulty getting rides into their respective workplaces because of the suspension of public transport. The Philippine government is planning to establish a “point-to-point” transportation service to address the issue. In this way, they can transport the health workers to their workplaces as the country face its fight against COVID-19.

                With the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), President Rodrigo Duterte approved lifting the 72-hour window period intended for the foreigners and Filipinos to fly out from the country. The government allowed them to fly out of the Philippines anytime during the 30-day enhanced community quarantine. The Department of Tourism provided 24-hour service to the tourists stranded in Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and other airports.

                For the returning Filipinos abroad, they may return to the country anytime. However, for the Filipinos who came back from China, Hong Kong, and Macau, they would still undergo quarantine for 14 days. All other returning Filipinos from other countries will undergo mandatory home quarantine.

                Today is the 7^th day of the quarantine. Kuwait has a total tally of 142 COVID-19 cases, while the Philippines has 202 cases. Both countries have increased their attention on the risks brought by international flights. As a response, the government conducted mandatory quarantine and medical examinations for the passengers. I give my great thanks to the authorities in attending the main reason why the virus is spread between countries. The accessibility of air transportation has played a great contribution to the spread of the virus. With this, I hope the government can mitigate this pandemic completely.  

“Huwag sabihin na tinutuko siya ng Diyos kapag siya’y dumaranas ng pagusbok, sapagkat ang Diyos ay hindi maaaring matukso at hindi rin naman niya tinutuko ang kahit sino.”

Santiago 1:13

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A multi-award-winning blogger and advocate for OFWs and investment literacy; recipient of the Mass Media Advocacy Award, Philippine Expat Blog Award, and Most Outstanding Balikbayan Award. Her first book, The Global Filipino Bloggers OFW Edition, was launched at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait. A certified Registered Financial Planner of the Philippines specializing in the Stock Market. A recognized author of the National Book Development Board of the Philippines. Co-founder of Teachers Specialist Organization in Kuwait (TSOK) and Filipino Bloggers in Kuwait (FBK). An international member of writing and poetry. Published more than 10 books.  Read more: About DiaryNiGracia