Assembly passes law to reward KD 600 million to frontline workers

Assembly passes law to reward KD 600 million to frontline workers

By B Izzak

KUWAIT: The National Assembly yesterday overwhelmingly approved a law allocating KD 600 million to grant financial rewards for over 200,000 frontline workers who worked in the campaign against the coronavirus pandemic. The assembly also agreed in principle on amendments to widen the scope and penalties of a Zionist entity boycott law stipulating a jail sentence of up to three years for dealing with Israel, as MPs strongly condemned Zionist aggressions on Jerusalem and the Palestinians.

At the start of the special session, leading opposition MP Obaid Al-Wasmi, who made a historical victory in a by-election on Saturday, took the oath to officially become a member of parliament. The frontline workers' rewards law was passed by 61 MPs and opposed by one member, MP Adnan Abdulsamad who strongly criticized the law for its limited scope and lack of regulations.

The law is applicable to Kuwaiti and expatriate employees who took part in the efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic in the period between February 24 - May 31, 2020. Abdulsamad criticized the law for not including frontline workers who worked after June 1, 2020 until now, even those who may be infected or die as a result. He said the legislation