Plan for the Return of Domestic Workers

Plan for the Return of Domestic Workers from Abroad

Using the Mandatory Two-Week Quarantine System

According to Health Requirements in the State of Kuwait

Press conference

01/12/2020

Director-General of Civil Aviation - Eng./ Yousef Sulaiman Al-Fauzan:

Plan’s Characteristics:

•        The proposed project is submitted by Kuwait Airways, Jazeera Airline, and National Aviation Services (NAS) to the Health Authorities.

•        The plan will save costs for the sponsor who wants to bring back his/ her    domestic worker from his/ her country to Kuwait directly instead of   passing through an intermediate country and staying there for 14 days.

•        The project is of temporary nature until the health quarantine is lifted by  the Health Authorities.

•        The sponsor shall be free to choose whether his/ her domestic worker travels directly to Kuwait or to use an intermediary country (transit).

•        Enormous efforts were exerted in this project by the Ministry of Finance,    the Ministry of Health and the Public Authority for Manpower.

The Plan is of Two Main Parts:

1-      Technical Part related to Travel:

          (System registration platform)

          Travel itinerary, testing and travel tickets

2-      Technical and Financial Part related to Health Quarantine:

          It involves the logistical aspects that encompass transportation, housing       and services.

First: Technical Part related to Travel:

•        This part relates to the procedures that start from the sponsor’s accessing   the electronic platform “Besalamah” to enter the details for the request to bring back the domestic worker from abroad to the State of Kuwait,   until the worker completes the exiting procedures from the passengers   terminal at Kuwait International Airport.

Second: Technical and Financial Part related to Health Quarantine:

•        This part relates to the procedures from the time the worker exits Kuwait     International Airport and transporting him/ her to the housing designated     for health quarantine as well as all logistical services for transportation,   the provision of healthy housing and the necessary medical testing as per         the requirements of the Ministry of Health.

Acting Deputy Director-General for Airport Affairs

Eng./ Saleh Abdullah Al-Fadaghi:

Plan’s Initial Phases:

The Civil Aviation has coordinated with Kuwait Airways and Jazeera Airline, and negotiated with the national companies to offer competitive prices compared to the those available in the market so as the flights will be restricted to the local airline companies. Indeed, our national airline companies offered competitive prices less than those quoted in the air-transport market.

With regard to providing housing designated for health quarantine together with the accompanying services in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Health, the Civil Aviation has received an offer from the National Aviation Services Company (NAS) that includes transportation and housing in independent residential buildings along with (3) food meals, cleaning services, security, guarding and all public services.

Negotiations were made with the National Aviation Services Company (NAS), where the cost was reduced from KD. 550 to KD. 270 per person, in order to offer economically competitive prices and to ensure that domestic workers will arrive directly to the State of Kuwait.

Official Spokesperson for Civil Aviation

Eng./ Saad Mohammed Al-Otaibi:

Plan’s Execution Mechanism:

Assigning the Ground Services Company, namely the National Aviation Services Company (NAS), which is approved at Kuwait International Airport, within the current contract concluded with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and in accordance with the relevant legal and financial terms and conditions - to prepare an electronic platform for registration purposes as well as the mechanism for linking the external laboratories (MUNA program), in addition to managing the process of requesting the arrival of the domestic worker to the State of Kuwait, and conducting the PCR test outside the State of Kuwait, in coordination with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, without any financial cost to the State or the traveler.

The Ministry of Health has approved the criteria for selecting external laboratories for inclusion in the program of linking the external laboratories (MUNA Program), as well as the health requirements for housing designated for health quarantine.

Forming a technical committee for overall supervision of executing and following up the plan for the return of domestic workers from abroad headed by Civil Aviation and the membership of each of (Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Ministry of Interior - Ministry of Finance - Ministry of Health - Public Authority for Manpower), where the committee will assume following up the national companies (Kuwait Airways - Jazeera Airline - National Aviation Services Company) in relation to executing the plan with respect to offering travel tickets and providing housing designated for health quarantine inside the State of Kuwait in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Health and in line with humanitarian and security standards. The committee shall have the right to form sub-teams for supervision and follow up purposes.

Plan’s Requirements:

Obtained the approval of the Ministry of Finance regarding the procedures for contracting with the National Aviation Services Company (NAS), as well as the approval of the Legal Advice & Legislation Department and the Audit Bureau in this regard.

The plan will be implemented as on 7^th December 2020.

The duration of the plan is Four Months for the arrival of those holding valid residency (Article 20).

Entering the platform for registration is optional for the citizens to choose the return of the domestic worker directly from the 34 countries to Kuwait, or choose intermediate countries for home quarantine.

The projected number of domestic workers abroad is (80 thousand).

The expected daily number is 600 passengers arriving every day.

Plan’s Phases:

First Phase   : Covers India and Philippine

Second Phase: Covers the Remaining Countries

Logistic Services:

It includes management, security, services and transportation, Nos. 3 PCR tests, Nos. 3 meals provided by CASCO, and a 14-day stay in a single residence to facilitate supervision by the Ministry of Health.

The number available at present is (58) residential buildings that include all public services with respect to health quarantine.

Private housing for women and private housing for men.

Housing is distributed for nationalities separately.

Remark:     The cost of institutional quarantine encompasses testing, transportation, security, accommodation, food meals and   services.

Plan success:

Success of the plan for the return of domestic workers from abroad as an initial stage will move us to other stages for the return of the rest of categories who are residents in an orderly manner, in coordination with the concerned government bodies and with collaboration from the private sector.