With the newly discovered cases, Kuwait becomes the 3rd most affected country in GCC

File photo: Kuwaiti women wear protective masks at the Mubarakiya Market in Kuwait City Image Credit: AFP

Dubai: Twenty new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in Kuwait on Friday, bringing the total number to 100, according to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA).

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said that out of this, 15 are citizens who came back from Iran and are still quarantined, while another citizen was in the UK and one more was in the US.

The rest three cases are for a Spanish citizen who recently returned from Spain and two Egyptian who were in contact with a person who came back from Azerbaijani.

Earlier on Thursday, Kuwait also reported eight new cases of the deadly coronavirus raising the total number of confirmed cases to 80.

With the newly discovered cases, Kuwait becomes the third most affected country by the virus in GCC after Bahrain, which also recorded nine further cases on Friday, with the total increasing to 171 infections.

Kuwait’s religious authorities have asked Muslims to pray at home on Friday as Gulf Arab states stepped up measures to fight the spread of the new coronavirus, according to Al Arabiya.

Friday prayers were cancelled across Kuwait for the first time, as the country grapples to contain the spread of coronavirus, according to Kuwait Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

The weekly Friday prayers at mosques have now been cancelled until a further notice.