No PCR test traps Kuwaiti on border for 22 hours

Kuwait - Yasmine El Tohamy - KUWAIT: In a most ironic event that mimics the Syrian movie ‘The Borders’, where the protagonist is trapped between two countries after losing his passport, Kuwaiti citizen Mohammad Mutlaq Al-Otaibi was recently trapped on the borderline between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia – between Nuwaiseeb and Khafji border exits – for 22 hours, after he had already stamped his passport out to depart to Saudi Arabia because his mother is a Saudi national, but he was denied entry because he did not have a PCR certificate. Ironically, when Otaibi decided to head back to Kuwait, he was also denied access because he did not have a Saudi PCR certificate.

Nuwaiseeb land border exit manager Col Yousif Al-Muhaini told Al-Rai that Otaibi arrived at the border center in the afternoon requesting to depart to Saudi Arabia as his mother is a Saudi national. “After stamping his passport, officials at the Saudi Khafji land border exit refused him entry because he did not hold a PCR certificate from Kuwait as mandated by Saudi health authorities as part of precautionary measures taken to fight COVID-19,” Muhaini explained.

Muhaini added that security forces at Nuwaiseeb land border exit were surprised the following morning by Otaibi showing up demanding to return to Kuwait, which was denied because he did not have a PCR certificate from Saudi Arabia. However, Muhaini said that upon instructions from the land border exits director Brig Eyad Al-Haddad, the Saudi border exit was contacted to make sure Otaibi had not entered the kingdom, then the Kuwait MoH was contacted because the doctor stationed at Nuwaiseeb rejected the citizen’s return without a Saudi PCR certificate. Otaibi finally managed to enter Kuwait after over 22 hours.