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Is LV or Rolex that important to have to visit the stores early morning on the very first day the malls reopen? I saw a video of the Rolex line at Salhiya and it’s even worse. So bizarre.

Over the weekend I was in Avenues for work (the mall is closed FYI) so I decided to walk around and see if it was true that Alshaya was closing down some of its restaurants. Inspired Edibles had posted a list on Instagram of the brands that were closing which included:

400 Gradi
Alforno
Blaze Pizza
Bridge Water Chocolate
Cafe COCO
Castania
Cleo
Le Pain Quotidien
P.F. Chang’s (Phase 1)
Spontini Pizza
Veranda

Turns out it’s partially true. Other than Blaze Pizza and P.F. Chang’s, all the restaurants listed above had been closed down with their logos removed and the storefronts boarded up. I guess the two I’m gonna miss the most are Alforno and Spontini. When Alforno first opened I used to go there a lot with my family, and Spontini, well I kinda liked their pizzas even though I know a lot didn’t.

But, if a giant like Alshaya has difficulty sustaining a restaurant during this difficult period in a mall they basically own, you can only imagine how other smaller businesses must be doing.

Completed all the way back in 2003, the Villa Moda department store in the Free Trade Zone was way ahead of its time. The building still stands there today but isn’t currently being used although a few years ago I heard a TV station or newspaper was going to take it over.

The owner of Villa Moda was the fashion entrepreneur, Sheikh Majed Al-Sabah who had a vision for a state-of-the-art retail experience. The exterior was designed by Italian architect Pierfrancesco Cravel who came up with the idea of creating the giant glass shell that mimicked the shipping containers in the port nearby. The 12-meter high steel poles in front of the building represented ship masts while sails were used in the parking lot to protect vehicles from the sun.

When Tyler Brûlé, the founder of Wallpaper* magazine heard Sheikh Majed was developing a new department store for luxury brands in Kuwait, he recommended he work with the London based interior designers Eldridge Smerin.

Eldridge Smerin were responsible for the design of Villa Moda’s main entrance area and lounge, public spaces and staircases, two levels of multi-brand fashion space, restaurant and café managed by @capriceholdingsrestaurants, as well as the landscaping around the building.

Villa Moda opened its doors in 2003 housing brands like Gucci, Prada, Bottega Veneta, Salvatore Ferragamo, Fendi, Etro and more. The total duration of the project from conceptual design to construction completion was impressively, less than a year.

For more photos of Villa Moda click here.

The original Villa Moda is still standing and was also ahead of its time (pictured below). The original Villa Moda was located on the Gulf Road opposite where Chilis used to be. Not sure when it opened but I remember going there back in the 90s.

Update: This post has been updated with more precise information. Also the Villa Moda building has now been demolished.

Starting from June 6th, anybody whose driving license expired and renewed it online will be able to pick up their new one from the kiosks at Al-Naser Sport Club in Ardiya. They are open from 8AM to 5PM and here is the location on Google Maps.

source

Yesterday during the press conference a 5 stage plan for the gradual return to normal life was shared. Because the information wasn’t made available in English, a reader took the time to translate the presentation himself so non-Arabic speakers could also read it. Please keep in mind this is an unofficial translation and so there might be inaccuracies.

Download the official Arabic version
Download the unofficial English version

Thank you Fawaz Al Hathal!

Update: Temporarily removed the English copy because I’m trying to edit and fix stuff in it including flipping around all the graphics. Check back in an hour.

Update2: File is back up

Around 30 minutes ago there was a conference where they announced the next steps to opening up after the lockdown. For those of you who can’t read Arabic, I’ve tried my best to summarize things until the official English text is published. There might be mistakes below, nbut it should be helpful until the official English comes out.

Basically what the government has done is gamified things, which I like. Imagine the lockdown we just completed as Level 0, we did it for 3 weeks and we passed. Now we move to Level 1 where we get more privileges and a partial curfew. In three weeks we will be evaluated, if we do well we move to Level 2, if we do bad we go back to Level 0 and start all over again. The better we do the more stuff we get. Here is how they’ve divided things to the best of my ability to translate:

Level 0 – Full Lockdown
What we just completed.

Level 1 – Free from 6AM to 6PM
We get mosques, restaurants (delivery and drive-thru), courier and delivery services, laundromats, fuel stations, private clinics, garages, car washes and car dealerships.

Level 2 – Free from 6AM to 9PM
We get banks, malls (10AM to 6PM), 30% of government and private sector, retail stores, restaurants takeaway, parks.

Level 3 – No curfew
We get 50% of the government and private sector back to work, hotels and resorts, Taxis with 1 passenger, Friday prayer at mosques.

Level 4 – No curfew
We get more than 50% of the government and private sector back to work, dine in at restaurants with social distancing, public transportation with social distancing.

Level 5 – No curfew
We get diwaniyas, social gatherings, weddings, events, gyms, conferences, hairdressers, spas, sports and cinemas.

In addition, I read that Farwaniya, Hawalli, and Khaitan will remain in lockdown. But, there is a bit of lack in clarity because I’ve heard it’s just some blocks that will be locked down, and I’ve heard that whole areas will be locked down.

Once an official English version of the above comes out I’ll update the post. If you read Arabic here is the PDF they presented during the conference.

Update: According to Kuna, Level 1 starts on Saturday

Update2: Arabic Kuna seems to contradict English Kuna. Arabic Kuna says Level 1 starts Sunday (31), English says Saturday (30). Great…

Update3: Ignore the KUNA links, according to @CGCKuwait, it’s starting on May 31st. Here is their official graphic in English with more details on what’s included under Level 1. Link

Update4: I updated the post to make it clear the hours I’ve listed are when we’re are free to go out and not the hours we have to be stuck at home.

Last year I heard a rumor that Arabella was going to get demolished and turned into a hotel and now there are renderings out showing what it’s going to look like. Based on the renderings it seems like they’re going to be demolishing the left side of Arabella (the side with Texas Roadhouse and Cheesecake Factory and build the hotel there.

The area isn’t that big so I’m very curious to see how they’re going to make it work especially the parking situation which is a total mess right now.

There is no mention yet on what hotel will be opening there or when but for more renderings including some interior ones, click here.

Thanks ChaoticTranquility

Once the lockdown is over and restaurants can reopen again for dine-in, where are you going first? I think for me it’s gotta be Peacock.

Abu Othman, like thousands of Kuwaiti men, has struggled to split his time between two wives living in separate homes amid the Gulf state’s strict lockdown to combat the coronavirus.

“My life has become so complicated,” the 45-year-old, who has 10 children between the two women, told AFP.

..

But in response to appeals by scores of polygamists like Abu Othman to ease their restrictions on movement, the Kuwaiti authorities on Sunday introduced electronic permits to men married to more than one woman for one-hour visits twice a week. Source

Seems like a good problem to have. Here is a link to the “Family Care” curfew pass page.

via Reddit

Here is a bit of good news for expats stuck outside of Kuwait, according to the Arab Times, Kuwait will start allowing some expats to come into Kuwait but only under humanitarian basis such as children who have been separated from their families due to the crisis or parents who are stuck abroad. Source

The past few weeks they’ve allowed some expats to fly back in but they were either expats married to Kuwaitis, or domestic workers who flew back in with their Kuwaiti sponsors.

To register to come back you need to visit the Ministry of Foreign affairs website. I’m assuming its the same registration form as the one Kuwaitis used but the Arab Times article doesn’t say. Here is a link to the registration page which was previously used, it’s currently only in Arabic so they’d have to add an English version soon. Link

Update: According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Arab Times article is NOT true and they aren’t planning to set up a website for expats to register on. Only Kuwaitis and first degree relatives of Kuwaitis are currently allowed to come back. Source

If you’re wondering about courier companies, as of now they aren’t allowed to function. So no shipments can come in from abroad. Hopefully that changes.

Thanks Nibaq

Although the saying goes “tough times call for tough measures”, I think tough times should call for more compassionate measures! We are dealing with so much right now and I know a lot of you are getting terminated (make sure you get your rights because no one has the right to terminate you because of Covid-19 in Kuwait), or are stuck in other countries, or can’t see your families, and this is why it is important for all of us to be compassionate to everyone we meet.

As a lawyer, I am getting so many emails because of Covid-19 with serious concerns, one of the biggest concerns is not being able to pay rent and eviction. Let me make something clear, a lot of people can not pay rent right now, not just you. And yes, the law allows the landlord to evict you (we wrote about this way back), but we are also going through unprecedented times so here is my advice:

– Write a formal letter in Arabic letting the landlord know that because of the unprecedented circumstances you are not able to pay the rent currently. I will make a letter template available to you in a few days for free, just email me on [email protected]. Also, feel free to communicate with them verbally and openly, I have had clients that have done that and then gotten a discount or a few months free, don’t be afraid to ask, but no matter what the verbal conversation is, I highly suggest that you still send them a document in Arabic (a notice) stating that you can not pay.

– Do not leave the apartment, if you can not pay the rent, stay there anyways. No one has the right to kick you out by force and this is something I doubt is a priority for authorities at this current time. Still, send a letter though.

– Do not feel shy about reaching out to charities, so many people in Kuwait, Kuwaitis and non-Kuwaitis alike have donated to various funds to help out those in need, so reach out to charities, please.

– Be patient and stay positive. I have hope that the Kuwaiti government will draft new legislation to deal with issues such as eviction from properties very soon and in favor of the weaker party, the tenants. I applaud the Kuwaiti government for all they have done so far and I have so much faith in them.

Best of luck everyone and I hope you and your families are safe and sound at this time. Feel free to follow me on instagram @flattland where I will be posting about my experience and the law (among other things) or to ask me and my team for any advice during this time. We have provided a few spots for legal consultations for free every week so check ftl-legal.com for a quick call with one of our lawyers.

Take care and sending everyone lots of love.

Post by Fajer Ahmed – Legal Counsel
Have a Kuwait law related question? Email me at [email protected]

The legal opinions expressed in this post are those of the author Fajer. Opinions expressed by Mark or any other writer on mark248am1.wpenginepowered.com are those of the individual’s and in no way reflect Fajer’s opinion.

Since the start of Ramadan, delivery drivers have been given a curfew pass so that they can deliver food from restaurants to people during curfew, 5PM to 1AM. But, if you’ve tried ordering the past two days you’ve probably run into a lot of restaurants being busy or closed, even though they’re meant to be open. Turns out the issue could be a lack of drivers during the curfew.

So roughly how it works is this, Company A’s drivers are allowed to deliver during the curfew. For those drivers to get the curfew pass, they must be registered under Company A. But, because Company A needed more drivers than they were given visas, a lot of the drivers are subcontracted from other companies and so working for Company A under the visa of a different company. This means those drivers can’t get a curfew pass and Company A is now operating with a smaller number of drivers.

Restaurants are already struggling as is and this obviously isn’t helping them. Yesterday night I felt like having a burger but all my favorite burger places were either marked as closed or busy. So just be patient and understanding of the situation. If a restaurant is marked as busy or closed check again in 10 minutes, it’s usually because the delivery app doesn’t have enough drivers. Also, some restaurants now allow you to order from their own online platforms and those don’t use Carriage, Deliveroo, or Talabat drivers. So if they’re busy on the apps, order from the restaurants own website instead.

Update: Deliveroo just posted that they will no longer be able to deliver after curfew and will now only deliver from 10AM to 2PM. Deliveroo is back to delivering again.

I haven’t gone shopping in a supermarket properly since this whole pandemic started. Just being around so many people and waiting in line with people who don’t understand social distancing just gives me a lot of anxiety right now. I now do most of my shopping at the tiny Coops in residential areas and for things like A&W Root Beer, or other treats, I pass by a Sultan Center Express or a Trolley.

But, when I found out you can now book supermarket appointments after curfew, I decided to try it out.

Getting An Appointment

The website you need to go to is https://www.moci.shop/

You enter your Civil ID number, Civil ID serial number, email and phone number and you will be then be allowed to choose an appointment for the following:

– Slaughterhouse
– Fish Markets
– Cooperative Societies
– Grocery Markets

Depending on where you live you’ll have different options and places available since the options are related to your home address.

I live in Salmiya so under the “Grocery Markets” section it’s like hitting jackpot since I have the options of like 3 or 4 Sultan Centers, Carrefour, Oncost and Wholesome Food. Sadly none of them were working, I think it’s a coming soon thing. The only option I had was Salmiya Coop located under the “Cooperative Societies” section.

I wasn’t expecting any dates to be available but oddly I found a bunch for the same day and more for the next couple of days. I decided to book an appointment for 6:30PM which was around an hour later. Once you’re done booking you’ll get two QR Codes. One is for the supermarket and one is for the cops patrolling the street. The QR codes are connected to your Civil ID so everyone out during curfew needs to have a separate QR code and everyone entering the supermarket needs to have a separate one as well. I don’t believe you can get one QR code and just pack the family in the car and head to the Coop.

Curfew Pass

They don’t give you any information but I remember hearing or reading that you can’t get a supermarket/curfew pass and then head the opposite direction. Since I was taking the Alfa out I figured I’d plan a scenic route to the Coop.

Obviously I didn’t take that route but I thought it would be a funny thing to tweet. The thing is cops on roads give me a lot of anxiety even when I’m not doing anything illegal on a normal day. So driving to the Coop during curfew turned out to be super stressful because there were cops EVERYWHERE! Like every intersection and corner had a cop car plus cops driving up and down the roads and cops in unmarked cars. All with their flashers on so you can’t tell if you’re in trouble or not, you just feel they’re all flashing their lights cuz you did something wrong. Or maybe it’s just me cuz I get stopped a lot and guess what? I got stopped on my way to the Coop, and on my way back! If that wasn’t stressful enough my QR code gave errors both times with the cops. I guess because I had just done the booking? No idea but when they’d scan the QR code it would tell them it wasn’t valid. The first cop told me it was fine and I could continue on my way to the Coop, the second cop when I was heading back home wanted to investigate the error further so I ended up parked on the side of the road for around 5-10 mins. In the end, he also let me continue home.

The Supermarket

I got to the supermarket early at around 6:15. The first thing you do is sign up at the desk and give them your Civil ID. You get it back on the way out because I think it’s how they keep track of whos inside because every group is allowed 30 minutes of shopping. Our group was around 20-30 people. At 6:30 they told us we could go in and right away there was a rush of people crowding up wanting to get in because nobody understands social distancing or the fact that this wasn’t an episode of Supermarket Sweep. A friend who had an appointment at the same Coop but at 6PM told me they had let them inside in small groups of 5 people at a time so it depends on whos in charge I guess.

You are only allowed to get an appointment once a week FYI. So if I try to get another appointment now I get the following message:

Tips

Firstly, I doubt I’m going to get another shopping appointment again. I can’t deal being in a place with so many people right now. If people understood was social distancing was then yeah I could do it but a lot of people don’t get it. While my items were getting scanned at the cashier, a guy who works at the Coop came between me and the lady behind me (who was social distancing correctly) and started emptying her cart onto the conveyor belt. But like dude, I’m still AT the conveyor belt, I still haven’t paid, why did you have to squeeze up next to me to unpack her stuff? We were doing so well without your help. I had to tell him to move away and give me some space and he got bothered by it. Like, come on. So personally I’m gonna stick to smaller mini-markets for now.

But the first tip I’d give would be to take your time going in. If you can shop in less than 30 mins then you don’t have to get in right away. Just take your time, wait till the crowd leaves the first area (most likely the veggie section or whatever the first section at your supermarket is) and then go in. You’ll have fewer people around you and you would be visiting sections when everyone before you had finished from it and left.

My second tip is don’t register for an appointment if its an hour or less later. Not sure how long it takes for the QR code you get to work with the cops, but it’s annoying to get stopped and it’s even more annoying not to have a working pass. Next time I’d book for the following day just to be safe.

If you want to get a shopping appointment, here is the link again https://www.moci.shop/
(for English press the white box drop-down box on the top right)

Update: I’m closing this post for comments. If you have any issues check the FAQ over here.

Kuwait is currently bringing back over 40,000 citizens using around 200 different flights over a period of 10 days. How do you bring so many people back so quickly and in a safe manner? The MOH posted the video above documenting the process, it’s in Arabic but has English subtitles.

The video below, on the other hand, was posted by the MOI and shows actual footage of the process with a recently arrived flight. It’s a hugely complex operation with makeshift tents, lots of manpower and even tracking bracelets.