By Meshaal Al-Enezi

KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs and Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Acting Minister of State for Services Mariam Al-Aqeel yesterday visited Kuwait International Airport to inspect the precautionary procedures the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is following over the COVID-19 outbreak. Aqeel met DGCA Chief Sheikh Salman Al-Hmoud Al-Sabah and a number of officials and attended the daily meeting of the supreme committee for fighting the virus, where she was briefed about the precautionary measures followed 24/7 at the airport.

Aqeel also visited the Public Authority for Manpower, where she met Director Ahmad Al-Moussa, who briefed her about the newly activated electronic services designed to help fight the spread of the coronavirus. Aqeel also met with the public to inquire about their satisfaction with the new services. She hailed the time and effort saved by using the new e-services. On the third stop of her tour, Aqeel visited the Public Authority for the Disabled, where she also checked the services provided to the public and the precautionary measures followed there.

Union shows gratitude
Chairman of Kuwait Trade Union Federation (KTUF) and Chairman of the Municipality Employees Syndicate Mohammed Abdullah Al-Aradah thanked His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for his orders to honor all employees working on the frontlines of fighting the coronavirus. Aradah added that he met the head of the government communication center and the government's official spokesperson Tareq Al-Mezrem to discuss combining efforts to fight the virus. Aradah said the meeting called for fighting rumors and inaccurate information in such critical circumstances. Both sides also agreed to name a liaison officer to coordinate their efforts.

Voluntary action
Charities Union Deputy Chairman Abdul Mohsen Al-Kharafi stressed the significance of organizing the union's work and suggested forming a tripartite team to supervise promoting voluntary action. Speaking in an open session held by the union with the participation of 38 charities in the presence of the manager of the charities department at the social affairs ministry Hoda Al-Rashed to discuss the role of charities under the current health contingency, Kharafi hailed the government's efforts and stressed that the meeting aims at combining efforts.

The union's executive manager Abdullah Al-Haidar stressed that the charities' role should focus on boosting religious, educational, faith and health awareness through opening charity premises to respond to inquiries and provide spiritual support. Kuwait Medical Association (KMA) Director Ahmed Al-Enezi said WHO confirmed that the number of people infected with COVID-19 is increasing and stressed that as an NGO, KMA has a role to play in supporting government institutions and coordinate with the charities union, adding that in view of the coronavirus danger, KMA had opened its doors to volunteers.

Enezi hailed the role played by KRCS, noting that it will certainly need more volunteers to act under the supervision of MoH. Director of International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO) Bader Al-Sumait suggested providing more volunteers to help contain the disease, adding that KMA had provided 2,000 specialist volunteers.

Rashed stressed that the ministry supports all charities in this regard, noting that the charities union had designed the 'Bader' (Take the Initiative) project and that a call will be made for volunteers to enlist. Nemaa Zakat and Community Development General Manager Saad Al-Otaibi called for paying more attention to the role played by families and parents in guiding their children and boosting their awareness about the disease, especially now since schools are suspended.

Price control
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) yesterday stressed the continuation of its inspection tours of various pharmacies, markets and co-ops to make sure of the availability of foodstuff and supplies and controlling their prices. A statement MoCI issued in this regard explained that inspection tours conducted on Tuesday resulted in closing one store and inspecting 156 pharmacies and other commercial stores, and filing 35 citations after receiving 97 complaints through its hotline number 135. The statement explained that the violations included unjustified price hikes and using improper tools and materials in handling foodstuff.