Category: Coronavirus

Over the weekend the MOH launched an app called “Immune” which is a way for vaccinated people to view their vaccine certificate. They don’t mention where or when you would be required to use the app but it’s safe to assume it would most likely be used while traveling in and out of Kuwait. Also, cinemas are supposedly going to open after Eid but only for those who’ve been vaccinated, this app will probably be used to verify your vaccination status.

It’s a very simple app that does just one thing and you can download it for both iOS and Android devices.

Currently, only 6.9% of the community has been vaccinated, a low number, and some people are baffled by it and I’m not sure why. They’re mostly vaccinating Kuwaitis at the moment with a few exceptions so obviously the number is going to be low but, there also hasn’t been a proper government run vaccination drive campaign.

Thankfully though, the private sector has decided to step up and try to solve this issue by offering their vaccinated customers discounts.

If you search for the hashtag #خصم_التطعيم on Instagram you’ll find over 200 offers including ones from big names like Ooredoo, Circuit+, Spark, and some popular local coffee shops. STC and Zain aren’t offering any discounts at the moment but they are trying to help by running campaigns to encourage people to go vaccinate. Imagine if brands like Starbucks, IKEA or Zara also offered discounts how many more people might want to get vaccinated. I know it doesn’t sound logical to offer incentives to go vaccinate, you’d think not getting sick and dying would be enough incentive but you aren’t dealing with logic here.

If you’ve gotten vaccinated already then click here to see what deals are available to you. If you haven’t signed up to vaccinate yet here is the link.

Starting today we’re back to curfews and I’m really not looking forward to it and mostly because I’ve run out of TV shows to watch. If you have any recommendations on new shows, pleeeaassseee share them below. There are a couple of movies I’m planning to watch (Coming to America 2, Nomadland) but I don’t have any shows lined up.

On the other hand, I’ll be using this time to go back to working out again since I’ve been slacking off the past two weeks, and I will be doing lots of yoga and lots of video games. I’m still playing Valhalla and just started Dirt 5 last week which btw is the best rally game I’ve played since the original Sega Rally.

What do you guys have planned?

This weekend while at The Avenues I spotted a drive-thru PCR test area being set up at one of the Phase 4 entrances. Is it just me or does this sound like a bad idea? If you’re getting a PCR test it’s most likely because you’ve been in close contact with someone that tested positive or you have symptoms, so do you want people to go shopping after taking a test? Seems weird to me.

According to @kuwaitnews, Kuwait has started vaccinating elderly expats as well as expats with chronic health issues. I’ve also had people get in touch with me letting me know that their parents or grandparents have started getting their appointments. This is really great news to end the week. Thank you to everyone that supported this request and helped make this happen!

Update: Comments locked up again since we can’t seem to have a normal discussion without any racism.

I’ve got a friend who signed up both his parents for the vaccine at the same time, his mum is Kuwaiti while his dad is older and an expat. His mum got vaccinated while his dad still hasn’t gotten an appointment. So now I’m wondering if they’ve started vaccinating expats or if they’re prioritizing Kuwaitis first.

Does anyone know if they’ve started vaccinating expats who aren’t health care workers?

Update: The comments have been locked

Last weekend I signed up and took part in the first open track event at the Kuwait Motor Town. It was probably the only sport left in Kuwait other than bowling that hadn’t restarted and I couldn’t understand why. It’s a sport where everyone is alone inside their cars driving around an outdoor circuit, so it’s pretty much perfect for social distancing. After taking part in the first event last weekend, I ended up leaving really impressed with the whole experience.

For this COVID era, KMT has introduced some new rules and changes to make things even safer than usual. Here are some of the important ones they’ve introduced:

Number of Participants
The number of participants at a race has been reduced to just 30. Previously it was anywhere from 60 to 90 participants per open track event. This means a lot less people everywhere and even spectators are no longer allowed at the events.

Registration
Previously on arriving to the track, you had to park your car, go into the reception area and wait in line till it’s your turn so you can sign in and collect your tags. You then have to go back to your car and drive up the scrutineering area where a group of guys run a number of safety checks on your car. The new process now is when you enter the parking lot you register at the gate while still in your car. While registering the scrutineering team will check your car and then when they’re done you enter the track. You don’t have to leave your car and really this process was so much more efficient than the previous way, they should permanantly have it this way.

Pitlane Garages
Pre-COVID, you’d enter the pitlane and park in any of the garages you wanted to. Now every garage is assigned to an individual and the separators between the garages are closed. So you basically park in a large garage by yourself and you don’t see anyone or interact with anyone. Every garage has it’s own bathroom and they’ve also provided gloves, masks and hand sanitizer for you.

Briefing
Before a race, every participant needs to attend a briefing session. Previously we’d all squeeze into a tightly packed overcrowded room. Now the number of participants has been reduced down to just 30 people and on top of that, the briefing session has been split into two groups. So there is plenty of social distancing during the briefing.

Other Points
Due to the number of participants only being 30, the track was pretty much empty the whole time with no traffic. KMT have installed new digital flags all around the track so we can now see the various warning flags when they’re shown. KMT now also has a fuel station and they accept Knet!

Really the only negative thing about KMT right now is the lack of proper night lights. They’re using regular street lights around the track which barely light up the track because they need to be positioned behind the safety barriers which are quite a distance from the track. There has been talk every year about getting proper flood lights but it hasn’t happened yet.

As I said at the start of the post I left the event impressed. If there was a local sport that is setting a good example of how to host an event safely during COVID, it’s KMT.

There is a clinic in Kuwait called DHAMAN that is now offering a saliva Covid-19 PCR test that is also certified for travel. With regular PCR tests, they shove a swab deep into your nose and it can be very uncomfortable. With the saliva test on the other hand, you just spit into a container and that’s it. You get the results within 24 hours and the cost is 40KD. That’s more expensive than the regular swab test but for now, you’ll be paying the premium for comfort. If you’re interested in getting the saliva Covid test click here for more info.

Thanks Fahad

I’ve previously gotten my PCR test done at Wara Hospital since they had a drive-thru service which is really convenient. But, they also take anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to send you your test results which is fairly slow. Yesterday I decided to get a PCR test at International Clinic because I had heard they were pretty quick with the results, and they were.

I got my PCR test done at around 9:30AM and then got the result at 6:30PM. That’s 9 hours later!

I’m not sure if there is any other place that does it quicker (if there is let me know), but from now on I’ll probably be getting all my tests done at IC. There wasn’t anyone else there getting a test so only had to wait for the doctor to be free and that was maybe 10 minutes. The price of the test is KD35 which isn’t the cheapest but really reasonable for the speed you get the results in. If you want to get a PCR test done at IC, you don’t need to book, you just show up and let them know at the reception area. Here is their location on Google Maps.

So earlier this week I took my mum to the airport since she was leaving for the States and the experience felt really strange. I think being at the airport after so much time away and seeing it basically deserted felt a bit eerie. The long term park for example was completely empty which I’ve never seen before and Emirates which used to have flights every few hours now has only one a day and it’s barely filled.

For those of you planning to travel out of Kuwait, here are a few things that I noticed are different:

• No more porters. Don’t know why we needed so many porters in the first place but just by them not being there it made the airport feel a lot emptier. You now have to get your own cart and push it around yourself #firstworldproblem

• You’ll have your temperature taken as you enter the airport.

• Before arriving to the check-in desks there is a checkpoint where they scan your Kuwait Mosafer QR Code. I was accompanying my mum who had a QR code but I didn’t have one and it wasn’t an issue. I also saw some other people pass through without having to show a QR code either.

• The same checkpoint also checks your PCR test results. In my mums case the guy also called a number to confirm the result of the test, I guess that’s to stop people who are using fake test results.

• I read that you aren’t allowed into the airport unless you’re traveling or accompanying someone elderly. I never got asked why I was in the airport but not sure if that’s because I was with my mum or if it was because the rule wasn’t being enforced.

• My mum traveled with Emirates and the check-in area wasn’t busy at all. There were clear markings on the floor to show the distance you need to keep between other travelers in line and that spacing was being enforced.

• While at the check-in counter about to finish up with my mum’s check-in, some airport guy came up to us and was like we both can’t be standing next to each other. I tried to explain she was my mum and we came to the airport together and I’m helping her check-in, but he insisted we social distance. That was very bizarre and I would have gladly continued arguing with him to find out the point but by then we had already finished up with Emirates so didn’t bother.

• Waiting area seatings after passport control now have dividers.

• Kuwait Airport isn’t allowing carry-ons, neither is Emirates supposedly, so to my mum’s dismay I forced her to pack a small backpack (which according to the guy I spoke to on the phone was allowed). Once my mum boarded the plane the first thing she did was send me pictures of people who had a carry-ons and I’m now no longer her son.

• Restaurants inside the airport are open and adhering to social distancing rules. (update: supposedly just Shake Shack and Starbucks)

Hope the above was helpful, I might have missed something so if you want to add anything to the above just leave it in the comments below.

Shems Youth Yoga and Kuwait Reggio Center are doing a fundraising drive to provide families in Kuwait affected by the corona pandemic with art & school supplies, toys, and books. It’s a great initiative and there are 4 ways you can help:

1. If you or someone you know are struggling to provide toys, books, art & school supplies for your children fill out the PLAY-TO-GO REQUEST FORM

2. Donate money to help them buy more supplies for families in need by clicking on the DONATE button.

3. If you want to donate gently used toys or books, click on DONATION DROP OFF to find out how.

4. If you want to volunteer to deliver boxes to families in need, fill out the VOLUNTEER FORM.

Check out the highlights on their Instagram account for more on this fundraiser @shemsyoga

Getting a PCR test for COVID-19 is much more accessible now then it was just a few months ago. My mum needed to get one since she was traveling and my followers on twitter recommended different places to go. One place that caught my attention was Wara Hospital since they offered a drive-thru service. I read a lot of stories about long lines or crowded clinics with people waiting to get tested so a drive-thru option sounded like the most convenient.

Then the following day I had a bit of a scare, I’m barely seeing any of my friends but one guy I had seen over the weekend messaged me to tell me someone at his office had tested positive for the virus and he was going to take a PCR test to be safe and wanted me to know. I was really appreciative that he told me, it’s an awkward situation to tell someone you might have gotten them infected but you need to do it. In my case when I got the message the first thing I did was also inform the people I work with on the situation and that I was going to leave to work from home till my friend’s results came out. But the next morning I decided to just get tested myself at Wara since I can also then write about my experience.

I called up Wara to see if I needed an appointment and you don’t, you just need to drive up to the back door of the hospital anytime between 7AM and 12PM and there will be a team there waiting. When I got there I was the fourth car in line and the whole process took around 20 minutes. You never leave your car, and you only interact with three people, the first nurse provides you with forms to fill, the second further down the line takes the sample and the third person is for payment. LifeProTip: Bring your own pen and a clipboard or a hardcover book so you can fill out the forms on it.

In my case, I got the results in 48 hours but when my mum had hers done she got the results in 24 hours. They WhatsApp you a photo of the result and also SMS you. It’s certified for travel and so if you need a printed copy of the result you could pick it up from their laboratory. The price of the test is 38KD which isn’t the cheapest, I think 27KD is the cheapest price I’ve seen for a PCR test but the convenience factor makes up for it. My friend’s test came out negative and so did mine which was a relief. I was so excited with the result I sent it to everyone I work with so they could also be relieved. If I had Tinder I would 100% have had my negative test result as one of my profile pictures or something. It feels like an achievement not getting the virus with it being everywhere basically.

Anyway, if you want more information on the Wara Hospital drive-thru PCR test, they have some posts and videos on their Instagram account @warahospital

Just like gyms, restaurants and coffee shops are reopening today but with social distancing rules in place as well as some new safety measures. For example, restaurants can only use disposable cutlery and are required to have a 2 meters gap between tables (amongst other rules).

I’m really curious to see how this plays out because unlike gyms where you’re meant to keep your mask on the whole time, you’re not expected to keep your mask on while eating.

But with all the concerns I have, I’ll probably be dining out, but maybe once the initial rush subsides since I’m expecting the first couple of weeks to be super busy.

Gyms will officially be opening up in a couple of days and I’m still deciding if I’m going to go back or not. The number of cases isn’t going down, the number of tests isn’t increasing and we’re all kinda just going about our lives trying our best not to catch it.

So far I think I’m most likely going to go back to the gym again. I’ve been renting gym equipment for the past few months but the gym is going to want them back now since they’re reopening. It’s also still pretty impossible to buy proper gym equipment so that’s not really an option.

I’ve been checking different Instagram accounts of various gyms and all the ones I’ve checked are trying to make sure their environment is as safe as possible. They’re all going about it differently but the gyms that lucked out the most are the ones that have classes where each client uses the same equipment throughout the class. Other gyms where you share equipment is going to be slightly sketchier but if you bring your own towel and disinfect the equipment before and after you use it, then it should be ok.

I guess I might just wait a couple of weeks for things to settle before deciding.

Picture on top from @inspirepurefitness

The Civil Aviation just announced a few moments ago (3:15PM on the first day of the airport reopening) that there are in fact countries that are banned from flying to Kuwait. The countries on the banned list are the following:

Armenia – Bangladesh – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Brazil – Chile – China – Colombia – Dominican Republic – Egypt – Hong Kong – India – Indonesia – Iraq – Iran – Italy – Kosovo- Lebanon – Macedonia – Mexico – Moldova – Montenegro – Nepal – Pakistan – Panama – Peru – Philippines – Serbia – Singapore – Spain – Sri Lanka – Syria (source 1, 2)

So if you live in one of those countries and had booked a flight to Kuwait, it doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to fly back for the time being.

Update: One airline had to inform their passengers that only Kuwaitis would be allowed to land in Kuwait after the late Civil Aviation announcement barring planes from certain countries from flying to Kuwait. That must have been so disheartening to the passengers who thought they were finally coming back home. Link