Kuwaiti Minister of State for Service Affairs Mubarak Al-Harees said on Tuesday his ministry commits itself to applying a health contingency plan to fight new coronavirus at the behest of the cabinet.

Al-Harees, who doubles as Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs, said in a press statement that he had instructed concerned officials to stop receiving parcels from those countries hit by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19),

He added that seaport authorities had also been directed not to receive any ships and cruises coming from Iran, Iraq and other countries where the killer virus broke out.

Earlier in the day, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry reported three new coronavirus cases, bringing the country's total number of confirmed cases up to eight.