KUWAIT: The Interior Ministry urged security teams to follow up on advertisements inviting guests to banquets, parties or any other gatherings, dispatching security teams to those locations to file reports and citations about such actions committed in violation of Cabinet instructions to ban all types of gatherings and immediately refer the reports for investigation in collaboration with the Health Ministry, high-ranking sources told Kuwait local daily Al-Anbaa.

The sources said the new instructions came in view of the recent increase in infected cases and proving that this is due to neglecting preventive measures, including banning gatherings. "We have put these instructions into practice over the past 24 hours and contacted the organizers and hosts. Some of them apologized and called such illegal events off, declaring so on social media," the sources explained.

The sources pointed that Health Ministry's ministerial decision number 64/2020 bans holding ceremonies including weddings and others - be they in public venues or private residences or diwaniyas - as well as banning banquets and receptions for non-family members. The sources also reminded that law number 8/1969 and its amendments penalize those who do not comply with preventive health measures taken to fight contagious diseases by up to three months in prison and/or a KD 50 to KD 200 fine.