Kuwait bans foreign travel for unvaccinated citizens to curb Covid-19 spread

Kuwait has banned all citizens who are not vaccinated against Covid-19 from traveling abroad, according to media reports on Monday.

Citing a decision by Kuwait's cabinet, the information ministry said on Monday that citizens who have not received the jab will not be able to travel abroad as of May 22.

The ban does not include people in age groups ineligible to receive vaccinations, the ministry said in a statement. A previous directive banned the entry of non-Kuwaitis to the Gulf state.

Kuwait has witnessed an increase in Covid-19 daily cases since the start of the year and registered over 276,500 total cases since the beginning of the pandemic.

The country suspended flights from India following a surge in infections rates.

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There is no international consensus on whether restrictions should be introduced. Several governments around the world are adopting so-called vaccine passports in a bid to restore international travel and inject new life into the tourism industry.

Proponents of the certificates argue they will play a fundamental role in countries with widescale access to vaccines. There are fears the "Covid passports" could reinforce inequalities both within and between countries.

The UK is taking the idea into consideration, while Israel recently launched digital vaccination certificates to allow access to gyms or restaurants. The European Commission is expected to submit a proposal on a joint plan for digital vaccination certificates that would work across the EU and potentially beyond.

Alternative solutions include combining vaccine passports with a recent negative test result.

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