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Members of Kuwait's national guard wearing safety masks keep watch outside a hotel in the capital where Kuwaitis returning from Iran are quarantined and tested for coronavirus on February 24. Image Credit: AFP

Cairo: Kuwaiti authorities vowed Tuesday to take “maximum” legal steps against rumour mongers about the spread of the new coronavirus as the Gulf country is struggling to stop an outbreak.

Kuwait has reported eight Covid-19 infections so far and cancelled celebrations of the National Day that falls on Tuesday.

The Interior Ministry urged social media users to cooperate in view of the spread of the viral ailment in the region and other countries. “It is important to shoulder national responsibilities and support the government efforts in confronting the virus,” the ministry said, according to Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai.

The ministry accused unnamed quarters of “exploiting current circumstances to spread panic amid citizens and residents, and impart malicious rumours” aimed at destabilising security in the country.

The ministry said without elaborating that it will take “maximum legal procedures to track down rumour mongers”.