Health Minister Sheikh Dr. Basel Al-Sabah said Thursday that failure to adhere to precautionary measures and over-indulgence in family visits during lockdown has led to future spread of coronavirus, warning the situation might "get out of hand." Based on state figures, the Cabinet decided to maintain the current first phase of the five-phase restart plan with continuous reassessment of the health situation, until health standards required to move on safely to the second stage are reached, he said. The minister was speaking to reporters in a virtual press conference, following a Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, aimed at discussing the Health Ministry report on the situation. "Today we are able to control (the pandemic) and we do not want to reach a stage where the pandemic controls us," he said, adding, "Many fathers and mothers have tested positive and admitted to the Intensive Care Unite in spite of staying at home. They caught the virus after hosting gatherings and not adhering to social distancing rules of washing their hands, he said. He urged the public to cooperate with authorities in order to proceed to the next phase, quoting the premier, who said, "we are at a crossroads." The criteria for moving from one stage to the other are the rate of infection transmission, the stability of patients' numbers for a sufficient period, low levels of family occupancy at ICUs and hospitals and low infection rates. Meanwhile the lifting of the isolation of some areas in the country came only after a drop in infection rates there, he said. Despite recording "very good" improvements in four criteria, the rate of transmission remained 1.07 (normal being one), the minister said, adding, this necessitated the continuation of this phase, which will be reassessed over the coming days. He went on to urge the importance of wearing facemasks, social distancing and washing hands and leaving home only for extreme necessity. Asked about the use of dexamethasone in Kuwait following its success in limiting coronavirus-related deaths in the UK, he said the drug was available in abundance throughout Kuwait hospitals. However, the amount and timing of administering the drug has not yet been determined. He commended the study, saying it has "very good" results amongst coronavirus patients suffering from acute respiratory problems. — KUNA
