Kuwait, Bahrain announce first coronavirus cases

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Kuwait and Bahrain confirmed on Monday their first novel coronavirus cases, health ministries in the two Gulf states announced, adding all had come from Iran.

Kuwait reported three infections and Bahrain one.

"Tests conducted on those coming from the Iranian holy city of Mashhad showed there were three confirmed cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19)," the Kuwaiti health ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

It said the cases were of a 53-year-old Kuwaiti man, a 61-year-old Saudi citizen and a 21-year-old stateless Arab.

"All three cases are under constant observation by the health authority," the ministry added.


Bahrain's health ministry also reported the country's first COVID-19 case on Monday after a "citizen arriving from Iran was suspected of having contracted the virus based on emerging symptoms."

The patient was transferred to a medical center for "immediate testing," which proved positive for the infection, the ministry added.

Iran's confirmed death toll rose to 12 on Monday, with the outbreak prompting travel bans from nearby countries.

Last week, Kuwait banned entry of all ships from the Islamic republic and suspended flights to and from the country.

Kuwait had also banned non-citizens coming from Iran from entering the Gulf state and operated chartered flights to bring back hundreds of Kuwaiti Shiite pilgrims from the Islamic republic.

Around a third of Kuwait's 1.4 million citizens are Shiite Muslims, who travel regularly to Iran to visit religious shrines. Kuwait also hosts roughly 50,000 Iranian workers.

Over half of Bahrain's population of under one million are Shiites, who also travel frequently to Iran.

Iraq said it closed the only border crossing with Kuwait at Safwan, south of Basra, late Sunday.

Neighboring United Arab Emirates has already announced 13 cases of the novel coronavirus, all of them foreigners. The latest were a 70-year-old Iranian man, whose condition is unstable, and his 64-year-old wife.

Three Chinese nationals were treated for COVID-19 and have been discharged from UAE hospitals.

UAE airlines have suspended most flights to China—where the virus first emerged in December—except to the capital Beijing, but have not yet taken any measures to restrict travel to and from Iran. Around half a million Iranians live and work in the UAE.

Three Gulf states—Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar—remain free of the virus, but all have suspended flights to China.

Qatar Airways said on Monday it will quarantine people arriving from Iran and South Korea, the biggest hotspot outside of China, for 14 days.

China's death toll from COVID-19 rose to nearly 2,600 on Monday. The virus has spread to more than 25 countries and is causing mounting alarm due to new outbreaks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Agence France-Presse

Max's to open maiden Las Vegas store in September, 3 more in Canada, Middle East before yearend

MANILA - Max’s Restaurant will open its first store in gaming hub Las Vegas in September, on top of three other new restaurants in Canada, Kuwait and Qatar before yearend.

On the sidelines of a Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) symposium-workshop late Monday, Max’s Franchising Inc president Robert F. Trota told reporters that the branch in Las Vegas, Nevada will be opened in the first week of September. The 515-square meter Las Vegas outlet is company-owned, and costs $1.2 million or roughly P52 million to put up, he said.

Max’s said its Las Vegas restaurant will be located at 1290 East Flamingo Road. Max’s Restaurant has eight other branches in the US—five in California (Glendale, Milpitas, Puente Hills, San Francisco and Vallejo); two in Hawaii (Dillingham and Waipahu); and one in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Trota said the latest US branch is also set to be the flagship training store in America.

Max’s Las Vegas restaurant aims to attract a wider customer base, Trota said, as “a lot of people go to Vegas.” According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority “nearly 40 million visitors” flock the city every year.

At present, 9 out of 10 customers of Max’s stores in the US are Filipinos, five percent have “Filipino-American influences” while the remaining five percent are “Americans who are adventurous” in their food choices, Trota said.

This customer profile is consistent with Max’s strategy of opening stores in areas with huge Filipino populations, Trota said, adding that, “We needed the Filipino community to help us bring Max’s to the mainstream.”

The company however would like to expand its clientele to non-Filipinos, who so far have taken to Max's signature fried chicken and adobo, he said.

Besides the Las Vegas store, Max’s will inaugurate a branch in Alberta, Canada by yearend, Trota said. The Alberta restaurant is a franchise with an investment of also $1.2 million for a 780-square meter site. Max’s has a branch each in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver.

Max's franchisees in the US and Canada are Filipinos, Trota said.

Two more restaurants in the Middle East are also in the works, hopefully for opening before the year ends, he said.

“We have chosen the sites in Qatar and Kuwait but we have not yet signed the lease,” he said. Max’s has three existing branches in the United Arab Emirates—one each in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah—all operated by Arab franchisees.

For its Asian expansion, Max’s Restaurant is eyeing the so-called “TIPS,” which besides the Philippines also include Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. “We just have to find the right franchisees,” Trota said.

On the local front, six to eight new stores will be opened in the second half to add to the existing 135 nationwide. “The additional branches will be in the new malls,” Trota said.

More than half of Max’s stores in the country are company-owned. Investment for a Max’s Restaurant costs between P12 million and P18 million.

Despite the influx of other local as well as foreign-led restaurants also offering different types of chicken dishes, Trota said Max’s continues to expand its sales. “The pie is just growing bigger,” he said.

Max’s Restaurant was established in 1945 by Trota’s grandmother, whose signature fried chicken dish became popular with American GIs staying in the Philippines after the Second World War. It started franchising in 1998.

source: interaksyon.com