KUWAIT: The State Audit Bureau (SAB) approved Saturday 12 contracts for sites to be used as quarantine for Kuwaitis returning from abroad. Speaking to the press, SAB's undersecretary and head of the bureau's emergency team Suleiman Al-Busairi said that they were in contact with officials from several locally based and international-brand hotels to discuss using their facilities for quarantine.

The contracts varied in daily expenses and services from KD 4,000 ($12,000) to KD 45 ($144), he indicated. The approval are within the state's laws, Busairi affirmed, indicating that a number of hotels agreed to the deals, while others declined.

Expat flights
In other news, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Saturday that airliners could operate outbound flights for members of the expatriate community in Kuwait wishing to travel back to their home countries.

All airliners will schedule flights for several destinations in accordance with the cabinet decision made on April 9, affirmed the directorate. The DGCA will coordinate with airway companies to schedule the flights for expatriates eager to travel back to their respective home countries.

Stores closed
Separately, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced yesterday the closure of 17 commercial stores that did not abide by preventive measures laws as part of combating the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In a statement to the press, the ministry said that two stores were reopened as well, adding that ministry inspectors monitored 279 cooperative societies, markets, commercial stores, and vegetable stand-alone shops to determine the extent of their commitment to new regulations and to maintain the stability of prices to products.

The ministry noted that their teams also monitored 80 ration house branches to ensure their abiding by the measures and the selling of food rations to people. The ministry added that it received 184 compliant calls on its emergency hotline, through their number 135, and 12 of those calls were received through their monitoring centers. - KUNA