KUWAIT: People who received COVID-19 vaccine or those who recovered from the virus will not have to be placed in quarantine in Kuwait as of yesterday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. DGCA said travelers exempted from quarantine were those who took their first dose two weeks before coming to the country, or people whose recovery from the virus did not exceed 90 days, DGCA Deputy Director General for Planning and Projects Saad Al-Otaibi said. Entry of arrivals to Kuwait is currently exclusive to Kuwaitis and their companions who are first degree relatives (father, mother, wife, husband and children) as well as domestic helpers.

All travelers should provide a PCR test certificate with a negative result, and this certificate should be produced at least 72 hours before the flight time, said Otaibi, also DGCA spokesman. He said travelers should also pay for one PCR test through "Kuwaitmosafer" platform before boarding the plane. The passenger will be in quarantine but they must carry out a PCR test within three days from arrival date, and if proven negative, they can leave quarantine.

Otaibi said citizens and their companions who are first degree relatives as well as domestic helpers were banned from traveling unless they were inoculated by approved vaccines: Pfizer-BioNTech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson. He said there were exemptions of citizens holding certificates from Ministry of Health of their inability to be vaccinated due to health conditions, women with an MoH pregnancy certificate, all age categories not subjected to vaccines, students abroad and diplomats in Kuwait. Otaibi said non-Kuwaitis were still banned from entering the country until further notice.

IATA Travel Pass

Separately, Kuwaiti privately-owned carrier Jazeera Airways said yesterday it will carry out a trial of the IATA Travel Pass, a mobile app that provides verified documentation on traveller COVID-19 tests and vaccination results. The digital pass also informs "passengers on what tests, vaccines and other measures they require prior to travel, details on where they can get tested," according to the global airline cartel, IATA.

Passengers will be able to upload a copy of their passport, vaccination certificate and negative PCR examination results in a safe and private manner to prove that they meet travel requirements, the airline said. Several carriers around the world have begun their own trials of the digital pass, it added. The statement also quoted IATA Regional VP Kamel Al-Awadhi as having confirmed that several airlines have found the app to be successful, adding that Jazeera Airways will be the first budget carrier in the region to carry out its own test. - KUNA