The Kuwaiti government decided to tighten controls on flights to and from countries hit by novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreaks.

According to a Kuwaiti cabinet statement, the cabinet held an emergency meeting on Friday under the chairmanship of Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, during which it decided to suspend for one week all flights to and from Bangladesh, the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

The statement, carried by Kuwait News Agency, added that all arrivals in Kuwait from any other nationality or via airports other than those of the above-mentioned countries will be denied entry if they travelled to these countries in the last couple of weeks even if they have valid residency or visas.

Only Kuwaiti nationals living in those countries will be allowed in after undergoing the necessary quarantine measures, the statement added.

The new measures are meant to protect the safety of the health of the citizens and expatriate residents in Kuwait, the cabinet stressed, asking everybody to understand the urgency of these measures.

The cabinet reviewed the measures adopted to stem the spread of COVID-19 and protect the safety of public health. It also reviewed the precautions relating to the airlines working in the country adopted since the emergence of the epidemic in January, including the suspension of flights to and from China, Hong Kong, Iran, South Korea, Thailand, Italy, Singapore, Japan and Iraq. (QNA)