Major evacuation plan

Manama

The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr Walid bin Khalifa Al Manea, yesterday confirmed that work is underway with all relevant authorities to implement the evacuation plan for Bahraini citizens in Iran. All measures are being taken to ensure that they arrive in the Kingdom safely and in accordance with Bahrain’s precautionary measures in light of the outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Iranian cities, and the escalation of its spread around the world, the official said.

Dr Al Manea added, “Work is continuing to transfer the citizens in Iran in stages, the first group of citizens will be transferred next Tuesday, and efforts are continuing to complete the various precautionary and preventive measures to preserve their safety and the safety of citizens and residents in the Kingdom of Bahrain.” Dr Al Manea noted that since the announcement of the evacuation plan, relevant authorities have been in ongoing contact with citizens present in Iran that registered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and their families.

Dr Al Manea stressed that all those involved in the evacuation process are working hard to complete it successfully and safely. “All returnees from Iran within the evacuation plan will undergo the necessary medical examinations under the supervision of a specialised medical team according to the recommendations of the World Health Organisation upon their arrival in Bahrain, and they will be transferred to quarantine or isolation and treatment centres if necessary,” he added.

Based on His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa’s directives, the Jaffari Endowments Directorate will cover all the expenses of the Bahraini citizens who are still abroad because of Coronavirus (COVID-19) until their return home, in coordination with all the competent official authorities, Jaffari Endowments Directorate Chairman, Yussif bin Saleh Al Saleh, said, noting that the expenses will be added to the Directorate’s budget, in line with the royal instructions.

12 discharged

The Ministry of Health yesterday announced that 12 individuals have been discharged after completing the mandatory 14-day quarantine period, bringing the total number of individuals discharged from quarantine to 38. The ministry outlined that the individuals, all Chinese nationals, one female and eleven males, tested negative for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) before being discharged. The ministry noted that all quarantined individuals are being monitored and cared for by a specialised medical team, in line with guidelines established by the World Health Organisation (WHO), to guarantee the health and safety of the community.

One patient critical

A Coronavirus (COVID-19) patient was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), showed the latest data about the virus published yesterday by the Ministry of Health. The ministry added that with the release of the 12 cases, the number of released cases from the precautionary quarantine after completing the required 14 day quarantine period reached 38.

As the ministry noted, 26 cases were released earlier. The ministry affirmed that all the cases in the precautionary quarantine centres are continuously monitored under the supervision of specialised medical staff. It assured that all cases are provided with the necessary care to ensure their safety, in order to preserve their health and public health.

CBB directives hailed

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) hailed the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB)’s call on all banks and financial institutions to probe rescheduling loans and postponing loan instalments. The CBB’s directives came to mitigate the negative economic impact of the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) on the vigour of the national economy, and to safeguard the interest of the people of Bahrain and the national economy.

In this regard, BCCI voiced pride in the responsiveness of the Bahraini government and its keenness on advocating the interests of the people of Bahrain, as well as those of the business community. The BCCI stressed the importance of consolidating efforts to overcome this hardship, and highlighted that it had assigned a team, which works in cooperation with various government bodies, to probe the impact of COVID-19 on the national economy and propose recommendations.