RAJAB 16, 1441 AH WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11, 2020 28 Pages Max 30º Min 11º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 18080 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Govt says no decision to end school year, suspends visas 4 new coronavirus cases in Kuwait • 54 deaths in Iran, highest one-day toll By B Izzak and Nawara Fattahova KUWAIT: Interior Minister Anas Al- Xi visits Wuhan, Saleh said yesterday that the govern- ment has not decided to prematurely end the school year, as the government met says tide turning lawmakers to discuss additional meas- ures to contain the coronavirus out- against epidemic break. MP Saadoun Hammad however claimed the government has given provi- WUHAN, China: Chinese sional approval to end the school year President Xi Jinping said now by promoting all students to higher yesterday that Wuhan has classes next year and adopt the marks turned the tide against the obtained by higher secondary students deadly coronavirus out- in the midterm exams as the final result. break, as he paid his first Hammad said during the Assembly- visit to the city at the government meeting, attended by the heart of the global epi- prime minister, several ministers and about demic. Xi’s visit came as 27 lawmakers, MPs demanded an end to unprecedented quarantine the school year as a precautionary meas- measures that have sealed ure against the coronavirus. He called on KUWAIT: HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and government ministers meet National Assembly off Wuhan and the rest of Xi Jinping the education ministry to make the central Hubei province announcement sooner rather than later. Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem and lawmakers to discuss additional measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak yesterday. since late January appear Saleh also said Kuwait will renew a to have paid off, with new infections dropping dra- ban on flights to several countries if killer disease. Speaker Marzouq Al- a national security issue, saying all are yesterday at all immigration depart- matically in recent weeks. needed, adding that other countries have Ghanem said two lawmakers have been united at this point of time. ments. According to an official of the During Xi’s trip, Hubei announced it would ease understood the Kuwaiti decision. The assigned to review health legislation to The interior ministry has suspended interior ministry’s public relations travel restrictions to allow healthy people in low-risk minister said the Cabinet is effectively in penalize people who conceal important the issuance of all types of visas to department who asked to remain anony- areas to travel throughout the province. a state of continuous meetings to take medical information from authorities. He Kuwait based on a decision by the mous, citizens of countries affected by Continued on Page 24 appropriate decisions while facing the described confronting the coronavirus as Cabinet. This decision was implemented Continued on Page 24 2 Local Wednesday, March 11, 2020 Kuwait Fights Coronavirus Expats stuck outside Kuwait due to coronavirus could face problems soon Landlords can go to court in case rents aren’t paid by deadline By Nawara Fattahova izes a case has been filed by the landlord to vacate the property, he should attend the court session and bring KUWAIT: The spread of coronavirus all over the all the documents including the airline tickets, passport world saw the suspension of flights between Kuwait and so on to prove his absence and for missing the and various affected countries. As a result, many peo- legal period for paying the rent, and the judge will take ple, especially expats living in Kuwait, are stuck this into consideration,” the judge said. abroad and are not able to return. According to the According to attorney Mohammed Al-Jassem, if the rent law, tenants are obliged to pay rent before the tenant used to pay the rent in cash to the haris and 20th of each month. This deadline can’t pay online from the country is approaching soon, and tenants where he is now, he can transfer may face problems with their the money to a family member or landlords. friend here in Kuwait to pay the According to a judge at the Lawyer explains rent on his behalf. If he cannot do Hawally Court, the landlord has legal steps so, and the landlord doesn’t pro- the right to file a case at the vide him an option to pay online court to get an eviction order for tenants and files a case against him to get against a tenant for being behind an eviction order, immediately on rent. “We don’t have such cas- after arriving in Kuwait he should es yet, but if the tenant is not able pay the rent he missed while to pay the rent through somebody during the legal abroad at the court. He should then present the evi- period and the landlord files a case, he will have dence of his excuse at the court session,” he explained. enough time to come back, as the first court session “If his absence lasts for a long period, he can won’t be held before a month from filing the case. It appoint somebody to attend the sessions on his behalf usually takes between a month to three months to set or make a power of attorney for any lawyer for this the date for the session,” he told Kuwait Times. purpose to follow the legal procedures. In this way, he KUWAIT: An aerial view showing buildings along the Arabian Gulf beach in this file photo. “When the tenant comes back to Kuwait and real- will protect his rights as a tenant,” Jassem added. cautionary and preventive measures applied by the munic- society development centers are under the authority of the Campers urged to ipality in compliance with Cabinet and health ministry social affairs ministry, and are operated according to cer- Municipality inspects decisions. tain rules. She said the ministry is committed to closing the Meanwhile the Municipality lauded citizens’ cancella- halls on the instructions of the Cabinet to combat COVID- remove camps due tions of hall reservations and appreciated hall owners’ 19. She said reservations will be cancelled and the ministry compliance with MoH cooperation in not holding any functions during the clo- will refund reservation fees. sure period out of social responsibility to cooperate with Separately, MP Khalil Abul said the current school year regulations in Ahmadi to coronavirus concerned municipal departments. cannot continue under any circumstances, and other alter- In the meantime, the funerals department at the munici- natives must be contemplated. He asked about the number By A Saleh pality issued a new circular extending burial timings to of public and private schools, universities and colleges, By Meshaal Al-Enezi start at 9 am, after Dhuhr (noon) prayers, after Asr and how much soap, sterilizers, napkins and nurses are KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality said there will not be any (evening) prayers, after Maghreb (sunset) prayers and needed to check temperatures, “so we can talk about KUWAIT: Kuwait Municipality said Ahmadi municipal extension of the camping season that will end on Sunday, after Isha (night) prayers. It said burial can be carried out resuming school?” He wondered if just one case of March 15. The municipality called on camps’ owners to at any time, while gathering in condolences halls is not COVID-19 is discovered among students, how will author- teams inspected various cafes, barbershops, spas and remove them due to the current circumstances as a pre- allowed. This measure is in compliance with Cabinet ities deal with the student’s family, teachers, their families salons in the governorate’s areas to make sure all cautionary measure to boost the preventive measures instructions to safeguard funeral attendees’ health. and those they came in contact with. He said we are talk- Ministry of Health (MoH) regulations about using face- against COVID-19. It said the decision is part of the imple- Social Affairs Ministry Undersecretary for Social ing about tens, may be hundreds of cases, while the gov- masks, gloves and sanitizers as well as banning shisha mentation of the environment law, besides activating pre- Development Hanan Al-Hajeri said multipurpose halls and ernment does not have the facilities to deal with them. as a precaution against the potential spread of the nov- el coronavirus (COVID-19) are fully respected and implemented. In this regard, the municipality’s auditing and service follow-up manager Saad Al-Shaibah said the inspection tour covered 420 stores and resulted in KRCS launches awareness campaign on COVID-19 filing 140 citations for hiring workers without health KUWAIT: The Kuwait Red Crescent people scientific information. certificates and violating MoH regulations in some Society (KRCS) launched yesterday a Oun added that the virus symptoms are cafes and around 120 spas. campaign on Coronavirus (COIVD-19) in cough, pneumonia, difficult breathing, sore In other news, the Ministry of Commerce and cooperation with the Kuwait’s Health min- throat, aches and pains, nasal congestion Industry (MoCI) said its emergency teams had inspect- istry to spread awareness among volun- and runny nose, adding that anyone having ed 102 pharmacies, stores and vegetable outlets to teers on how to deal directly with infected those symptoms goes to quarantine as make sure they followed standards regulations, adding cases. Representative of the Information most of the cases come from airport. There that the tour resulted in filing 14 citations for various Office in Health ministry Dr Hadeel Al-Oun are also ways of prevention such as wash- violations. In a different concern, MoCI announced that said in a seminar at KRCS that the Ministry ing hands, covering the nose and mouth, the total weight of precious metals it stamped in took responsibility of spreading awareness and avoid direct contact with anyone February was two tons, for which it collected KD in several places, including airport termi- showing symptoms of respiratory system 119,000 in fees.