Yes, that's true , It's been an Year and finally Government of Kuwait has taken steps for the return of stranded expats into the country, which Kuwait had placed a ban on 31 countries earlier.
On 27th July , The Directorate General of Civil Aviation released new guidelines for travelers from August 1 based on Decision of Ministry and Health authorities, that speak about vaccination and residency staus of the expats.
The guideline is very clear in saying, residents with valid iqamas can return to the country provided they have been vaccinated fully with one of the four vaccines recognized by State of Kuwait. Other vaccines have not been approved yet, hence wont' accepted.
The circular said only Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved. Travellers must have received two doses of the first three vaccines and one dose of the fourth one. Airlines have also instructed passengers that at least 14 days must lapse from the second dose to be allowed to board the plane.
The DGCA said all the incoming passengers to Kuwait must have a negative PCR test result, taken within 72 hours of the travel time. It also said expats and Kuwaitis who have been vaccinated in Kuwait , and after the green color mark appears in their Immune/Kuwait Mobile ID applications, should complete registration on the Shlonik application and Kuwait Mosafer platform.
All vaccinated residents and Kuwaiti citizens must undergo home quarantine for seven days from the day of arrival. In case they want to end the quarantine early, they can pay the fees and undergo a PCR test on the third day. If the result is negative, the quarantine is considered ended, the regulations say.
Residents who have received approved vaccines outside Kuwait are required to authorize their vaccination certificate by uploading it to the health ministry website. A green mark will appear in a few days on the Immune/Kuwait Mobile ID apps.
The vaccination must be verified electronically before boarding the plane and upon arrival in Kuwait through checking the QR code. No paper documents will be accepted.
These travelers must also complete registration on the Shlonik app and Kuwait Mosafer platform. They will also quarantine at home for seven days, with those desiring to end it early can undergo a PCR test on the third day. If the result is negative, the quarantine ends. The same conditions apply to Kuwaiti citizens.
Unvaccinated Kuwaitis who have the red or yellow color mark on their Immune/Kuwait Mobile ID apps must first complete registration with the Shlonik app and Kuwait Mosafer platform.
They must pay the cost of two PCR tests and take the first upon arrival in Kuwait and the second on the sixth day of institutional quarantine. They must also pay the cost of the seven-day quarantine at a local hotel authorized and mentioned on the Kuwait Mosafer platform.
If the result of the second PCR test is negative, they will complete the seventh day of quarantine at the hotel and seven days at home. Kuwaitis who have received unrecognized vaccines outside Kuwait will be treated as unvaccinated.
Yes, members of the foreign diplomatic missions in Kuwait, their first-degree relatives (spouses and children) and their domestic helpers are exempted from institutional quarantine, provided they produce their official IDs.
Medical staff (MOH) in the government and private sectors and their spouses and children, in addition to their domestic helpers, are also exempted from institutional quarantine provided they produce appropriate documents proving their profession.
The circular also stated only Kuwaiti citizens who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to travel out of Kuwait from August 1.
Pictures and Circular Courtesy : DGCA, Kuwait .
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