Kuwait records first death from coronavirus

The oil-rich nation registered its first Covid-19 fatality on Saturday, after weeks of strict lockdown measures.

2 min read

04 April, 2020

Kuwait has enforces some of the strictest lockdown measures in the Gulf [Getty]

Kuwait reported its first fatality from Covid-19 on Saturday, according to state news agency KUNA which cited a health ministry spokesman.

The total number of confirmed cases in the Gulf state has risen by 62 in the past 24 hours to 479, he added.

Kuwait has adopted among the strictest measures in the Gulf to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus by largely locking down the country from the outset.

The kingdom has also announced that it will treat Covid-19 patients - including non-Kuwaitis, who account for nearly 70 percent of the population - for free.

However the country attracted controversy last week when one of its leading actresses said expatriates should be expelled from the oil-rich nation so that locals can be sure of having a hospital bed if they fall ill with the virus.

She also said expats should be quarantined in the desert.

"We are fed up. If we get sick, there are no hospitals (for us)," Hayat al-Fahad told a local TV station.

"Why, if their countries do not want them, should we deal with them? Aren't people supposed to leave during crises?

"We should send them out... put them in the desert. I am not against humanity, but we have reached a stage where we're fed up."

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