Travelers arrive at Kuwait international Airport. (File photo: AFP)
Kuwait on Sunday reduced the number of daily overseas airline passenger arrivals by 80 percent to 1,000 to manage the spread of a new coronavirus variant, a source told Reuters.
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Kuwaiti newspapers earlier reported the decision, citing unnamed sources. Kuwait’s civil aviation authority could not be immediately reached for comment.
The Gulf state on Tuesday reported its first cases of a more contagious coronavirus variant, which the health ministry said had been detected in two women returning from Britain.
State-owned Kuwait Airways on Friday said it would operate fewer services between Jan. 24 and Feb. 6 following instructions from health authorities and the state aviation regulation.
Domestic workers and transit passengers were exempted from the new arrivals limit, it said.
Newspaper Al-Anbaa reported that the health ministry had requested the airport to be closed but that authorities instead decided to limit the number of arrivals.
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Coronavirus: Kuwait will not extend suspension of flights, to open borders
