Coronavirus: Kuwait assures firefighters as they undergo tests

Kuwaiti authorities are seeking to reassure the country’s firefighters that they will be looked after amid a reported outbreak of coronavirus in the service.

The official news agency Kuna quoted an official in the Kuwait Fire Service Directorate as saying that facilities have been prepared to house fire fighters as they undergo testing for the infection.

Fayez Al Nassar said his organisation is “taking care to preserve the safety of the firefighters and make available all their needs”.

Mr Al Nassar did not disclose how many firefighters have tested positive.

But he said department personnel confirmed as having been infected are being housed in chalets belonging a state petrochemical company and that the dwellings are serviced by hotels.

Kuna reported last week that infections were discovered in one unit of the firefighting service, and that the authorities were investigating a fire official for posting a video on social media “aimed at spreading lies and rumours” about the coronavirus.

The government mobilised the fire service to deliver medical prescriptions to the homes of patients amid lockdown measures to contain the coronavirus. The firefighters have delivered more than 30,000 prescriptions over six weeks.

Infections in Kuwait have been rising sharply despite bans on movement and the closure of the major supermarket chain after cases were discovered among its workers.

As of Wednesday, the authorities had registered 17,500 coronavirus cases, including 124 fatalities.

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Coronavirus in the region