Kuwait slashes curfew hours, exempts vaccinated arrivals from mandatory institutional quarantine

KUWAIT CITY — Kuwait’s Cabinet on Monday decided to reduce the night curfew to 11 hours instead of 12 and exempt vaccinated travelers from mandatory institutional quarantine, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.

The Kuwaiti Cabinet decided to impose a month-long night curfew two weeks ago to curb a spike in coronavirus cases in the country.

As part of the new measures, which have come into force on Tuesday, the night curfew will begin from 6 p.m. and continue until 5 a.m.

The Cabinet also allowed deliveries by restaurants and cafes to continue until 10 p.m. and allowed walking from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily, provided people remain in their areas and do not use vehicles. The Cabinet also replaced hotel quarantine with home quarantine for travelers who have been vaccinated.

According to the new measures, travelers who have taken two doses of the vaccine at least two weeks ago or those who took just one dose five weeks ago will be asked to spend only seven days in-home quarantine. The same applies to people who have recovered from COVID-19 and have taken one vaccine dose two weeks ago. All three categories must undergo a coronavirus test on the seventh day of the quarantine and produce a negative result.

Students studying abroad only need to produce a certificate from their universities to be exempted from hotel quarantine, the Cabinet said. Expatriates who have valid residencies in Kuwait continue to be barred from entering the country since a ban was placed on Feb 7. Only foreign diplomats and medical staff and their families are exempted from the ban.