Bahrain is taking every measure possible to protect its citizens and residents during the Covid-19 crisis, pledged the Crown Prince last night, the GDN reported today.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, made the remarks as he chaired a meeting of the Government Executive Committee, held remotely.
He also announced new precautionary measures to be implemented until April 23.
The Crown Prince stressed that the National Task Force for Combating the Coronavirus is doubling its efforts to curb the spread of the pandemic, which continue in tandem with an integrated, proactive approach across the government, under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad.
The Crown Prince highlighted the strength of Bahrain’s telecommunications infrastructure, the development of which has allowed for seamless communication and efficiency across all governorates to be maintained.
He reminded every resident and citizen of their shared responsibility – as Team Bahrain – to contribute towards national efforts to tackle the crisis.
The key measures announced at the meeting are:
Movie theatres are to remain closed
All commercial sports gymnasiums, fitness studios, swimming pools and recreational activities are to remain closed
The activities of all restaurants, tourist facilities and places for serving food are to remain limited to external orders and delivery services
Sheesha cafes are to remain closed. Services offered by these cafes are to remain limited to takeout and delivery of food only
Salons are to remain closed
All non-essential medical services provided by private health clinics are to remain suspended.
The first hour of grocery store openings is to remain dedicated for the elderly and pregnant women
Public gatherings are to remain limited to five individuals or fewer. Individuals are encouraged to stay at home as much as possible, only going out for necessities
All citizens and residents are required to wear face masks whilst in public
Commercial and industrial businesses providing goods or services directly to customers, are to open and resume work provided the following conditions are met:
1. Employees and visitors are required to wear a face mask
2. The number of employees in any facility is reduced and overcrowding in stores is actively prevented to ensure sufficient social distancing measures are maintained at all times.
3. Stores must ensure continuous sterilisation, including external premises, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Health Ministry
4. Queuing and line-ups outside stores must be arranged in accordance with the social distancing measures issued by the Health Ministry
Private sector enterprises are encouraged to follow the below guidelines:
1. Remote working to be maintained, if and when possible
2. The number of employees to be limited at any certain location, office and employees are instructed to adhere to social distancing measures
3. The number of employees using corporate transportation methods, such as buses, are to be reduced
Commercial and non-essential businesses that are currently closed will reopen tomorrow at 7pm, under strict guidelines of social distancing, Industry Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Alzayani said at a Press conference last night.
“We are trying our best to protect the economic structure and its sustainability and based on the decisions of the government’s executive committee a number of directives have been issued,” he said.
