Hard times shape rapid Saudi and Kuwaiti coronavirus response

Both countries better prepared for national health emergencies after Mers experience

Deserted streets in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which has been placed on lockdown to limit the spread of the virus. AFP

The world's last major coronavirus outbreak, in 2012, began in Saudi Arabia, where uncertainty led the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome to kill several hundred people and spread across the region.

This time, the kingdom was better prepared, public health officials say.

Its experience of Mers meant hospitals had already established separate triage units for respiratory illnesses, with specialised ventilation to protect medics from infection.

At least two hospitals also had drive-through testing in place, which the US is rushing to bring in.

And seven weeks before the first domestic case, Saudi authorities developed guidelines to deal with the new virus.

"Their experience with Mers uniquely positioned them because they learnt a lot from that," said Joanna Gaines from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

"They know it's Mers season and they're already cued up for that. The preparation and processes really cuts down on your exposure right away."

Libyans wearing protective face masks queue in front of a bank in the centre of the capital Tripoli amid the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

A medical staffer wearing protective gear stands in a hallway at Basra University Hospital, where Covid-19 patients are treated, in the southern Iraqi city. AFP

Farah Al-Awadi, a 28-year-old Iraqi woman who has contracted coronavirus disease, takes selfies with a member of the medical team during quarantine in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq. Reuters

Palestinian fitness trainer and bodybuilding Ahmed Sawi uses alternative tools as a weight as he trains at his home in Gaza City. AFP

Islam Bseileh, a 29-year-old Palestinian who used to work in Israel, waves to his wife and two kids (all wearing masks) as he receives food they delivered to him while in quarantine in his home in the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank. AFP

A garbage collector pushes a wheelbarrow across the empty Galata bridge in Istanbul, after Turkish officials have repeatedly urged citizens to stay home and respect social distancing rules. AFP

A watch showing the time at noon, is displayed for a photo in front of the Roman amphitheatre, which is empty during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Amman, Jordan. Reuters

A stray dog during a animal food distribution near Sultanahmet mosque (blue mosque) in Istanbul after Turkish officials have repeatedly urged citizens to stay home amid the spread of the coronavirus. AFP

A Palestinian vendor waits to sell vegetables in the West Bank city of Nablus. EPA

Palestinian workers at the United Nation Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) wearing protective masks upload food aid rations for poor refugee families, at a UN school in Gaza City. EPA

A man holds a pocket watch at noon, as he shows the time while posing for photo at an almost empty market near the Imam Ali shrine, during the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Najaf, Iraq. Reuters

A medical staffer wearing protective gear inspects chest X-ray scans at Basra University Hospital, where Covid-19 coronavirus patients are treated, in the southern Iraqi city. AFP

Internally displaced boy, Mahmoud Abdel Hadi, 8, does his homework received on mobile, inside his tent after his tented school was shut due to the threat of coronavirus disease in Atmeh camp, near the Turkish border, Syria. Reuters

Syrians wearing face masks walk in front of posters informing about the novel coronavirus, in the capital Damascus. AFP

Egyptians Mahmoud Saad (left) plays saxophone and Mohamed Adel (right) violin on their balcony during curfew in Giza, Egypt. EPA

A Tunisian police robot patrols along Avenue Habib Bourguiba in the centre of the capital Tunis, as a means of enforcing a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus pandemic. AFP

Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Kuwait took drastic measures early on to contain the new pandemic, halting air travel, imposing curfews, and quarantining and testing thousands of people.

Saudi Arabia has reported 1,453 infections and eight deaths while Kuwait recorded no fatalities among 266 cases. Initial outbreaks in both countries were linked to foreign travel.

It is still too early to tell whether those efforts have contained the disease, but the health officials said authorities are doing the best they can by severing the transmission chain.

The World Health Organisation said Saudi Arabia's "whole of government" approach benefited from the Mers experience and "unique expertise" in emergency preparedness from managing the Hajj pilgrimage, the world's largest annual gathering of Muslims.

Riyadh is trying to replicate the kingdom's Hajj co-ordination in its fight against the coronavirus through the Saudi Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, conceived in 2013 but not fully operational until 2018.

"It is a co-ordination oversight centre that gave more maturity to public health services in the country," senior Saudi epidemiologist Sami Almudarra said.

Kuwait also has experience with national health emergencies, from the oilwell fires after the 1990 Iraqi invasion to fears of biological and chemical warfare during the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.

It took precautionary measures soon after reporting its first case on February 24, a week before Saudi Arabia.

The luxury Khiran resort and five-star Al Kout Beach Hotel have become quarantine centres and the international fairgrounds are being used for testing and as a field hospital.

Kuwait's Parliament was initially critical of the government response but has since praised the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah bin Khalid, facing his first crisis as premier.

"Continuous parliamentary pressure made government institutions feel they must perform," said Nada Al Mutawa, management professor at the Australian College of Kuwait.