Authorities in Kuwait have announced that they have stopped issuing entry visas to family and tourists for an unlimited period, according to local media reports.
In this regard, the Ministry of Interior issued a verbal instruction to the Residency Affairs Department in six governorates in order to stop issuing all types of entry visas for expatriates until new instructions are launched, VisaGuide.World reports.
The new changes come following the preparations for new regulations in order to serve the interests and develop the process.
In this regard, new procedures and conditions are being introduced, which will be approved after the completion of the study.
Previously the Ministry of the Interior announced that the Residency Affairs Sector would begin the cancellation of the residency of expatriate workers who have been outside the country for six months or more.
According to a Siasat report, expatriates account for nearly 3.4 million of the total population in Kuwait.
The county has also been highly affected by the spread of the Coronavirus and its new variants, especially due to the travel bans and other restrictions imposed to contain its further spread and protect the citizens’ lives.
Based on the data provided by the World Health Organization, a total of 656,393 people have tested positive for the Coronavirus in Kuwait since the start of the pandemic, while a total of 2,562 people have died during the same period.
Due to such figures, on December 24, 2020, authorities in Kuwait introduced their very first Coronavirus vaccination campaign throughout this country.
The figures provided by WHO show that as of August 2, there have been a total of 8,179 003 vaccine doses administered.
However, despite such figures, authorities in Kuwait decided to ease the restrictions imposed due to the virus in order to welcome a larger number of visitors.
Previously, a report published by Colliers International, a company specializing in hotel research occupancy rates, revealed that hotels in Kuwait City would increase notably regarding occupancy rates by 16 per cent in order to reach 31 per cent in the current year.
Following the easing of restrictions imposed due to the virus, authorities in Kuwait expect that the number of international tourists will mark a notable improvement.
However, the head of the infectious diseases department, Hamad Bastaki, recently said that the Ministry of Health continues to monitor all infectious diseases, including the COVID-19 situation, imposing necessary measures in order to boost public health response in an adequate manner.