New clampdown on restaurants and schools in Bahrain as precautionary measure

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Bahrain will suspend dine-in services at restaurants and cafes and move public and private schools to remote learning for three weeks to contain the spread of the coronavirus, the Health Ministry said yesterday.

This came as the National Taskforce for Combatting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) yesterday announced that it had detected a new variant of coronavirus in a number of cases.

Health Ministry Undersecretary and National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19) senior member Dr Waleed Al Manea, however, did not specify which kind.

Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani, head of the task force monitoring committee, said the new variant is spreading quickly and has the ability to mutate at a fast rate.

“The variant does not mean a new virus but a gene mutation that has emerged within the original virus. Variations in coronavirus are slow as opposed to the regular flu, but these are still under study,” he said. The new lockdown measures will come into effect on Sunday, January 31.

Based on the recommendations of the taskforce, outdoor services will continue but will be limited to 30 individuals per reservation.

In-person learning at rehabilitation centres affiliated with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, and nurseries, private training centres, and institutes, licensed by the Ministry, will be suspended for three weeks.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism cautioned that it will not hesitate to impose the necessary penalties on those committing commercial violations, the extent of which may reach administrative closure of the violating shop or any other penalty decided in this regard.

Additionally, the Ministry called upon the consumers and the general public to immediately report any violations by calling the Complaints Centre at the Ministry on 8000 1700 or through the “Tawasul” app, or via any other channel available to communicate with the Ministry