The Ministry of Health: 241 of travel-related COVID-19 cases came from Iran and 112 from other countries

TDT | Manama

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday 66 new active cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), following tests on expatriate labour workers in Salmabad.

The workers were moved to a quarantine centre yesterday following a positive case registered at their place of residence, where they were self-isolating. After confirming the positive results, as part of ongoing testing for individuals in quarantine, the new active cases were moved to treatment facilities immediately.

The Ministry has taken comprehensive preventative measures, including testing all individuals known to have been in contact with positive cases to ensure their safety. Contacts of the new active cases have had their quarantine period extended for an additional two weeks, in line with preventative protocols.

The foreign workers did not leave quarantine while self-isolating at their place of residence. All were moved into designated quarantine centres as a precaution. There has been no community spread of the virus amongst foreign labourers. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has recorded that, of the 353 COVID-19 cases with a history of travel to countries with high infection rates, 68 per cent were detected among travellers returning from Iran.

To date, a total of 241 confirmed cases have been detected amongst travellers returning from Iran, followed by 57 travellers returning from the UK, 12 returning from Egypt, eight from Iraq and 27 from other countries with high infection rates. Bahrain, with its high recovery rate, is being recognised as a model for mitigating the spread of COVID-19. As of last night, the Kingdom has recorded 381 recoveries, far exceeding total active cases, which was 258, of which all but three are stable.

The total tested has reached 36,506. The Health Ministry also announced yesterday the arrival of a fourth flight of evacuated Bahraini citizens from Iran. They were received by officials and proper procedures were taken.