Bahrain closes venues for two weeks in bid to cut Covid spread

Cinemas, malls, gyms, hair salons and commercial shops will be closed to curb the spread of the coronavirus

Medical staff are seen in the newly-inaugurated intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients at the Bahrain Defense Force Hospital in Riffa in April, 2020. AFP

A man wearing protective gloves checks the app "Be Aware", launched by Bahrain's health authorities to contain the coronavirus disease by spreading awareness and sharing updates on the situation. Reuters

A Bahraini man wears a protective face mask following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, as he shops at a vegetables market. Reuters

A grocery store displays protective masks for sale amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the old marketplace of the Bahraini capital Manama. AFP

A Bahraini police officer instructs a foreign shop vendor to wear his protective mask amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the old market place of the Bahraini capital Manama. AFP

A Bahraini police officer instructs foreign workers on proper self-protection measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic in the old marketplace of the capital Manama. AFP

A Bahraini police officer instructs foreign workers to wear protective gear amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in the old marketplace of the capital Manama. AFP

Expatriated workers carrying out road project development sanitise their hands as they shift between work sites in Aali village. AFP

Expatriated workers have their temperatures checked while carrying out road project development in Aali village south of the Bahraini capital. AFP

Fully equipped beds are seen in a makeshift ICU dubbed the Field Intensive Care Unit 1 set up by Bahraini authorities to treat the coronavirus disease at a car-park of Bahrain Defence Force Hospital in Riffa. Reuters

Medical staff are seen in the newly-inaugurated intensive care unit for Covid-19 patients at the Bahrain Defense Force Hospital in Riffa. AFP

Doctors and nurses are seen doing their final check on the equipment in a makeshift ICU dubbed the Field Intensive Care Unit 1 set up by Bahraini authorities to treat the coronavirus disease. Reuters

Bahrain’s shopping centres, coffee shops and restaurants will close on Thursday for two weeks as the government announced Covid-19 measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The Health Ministry said 70 per cent of government employees must work from home while barbers, hair salons and spas join other leisure and dining venues in closing their doors until 12am on June 10. All conferences and in-person events will be cancelled.

Beaches, amusement parks, gymnasiums and swimming pools, as well as cinemas, will also close.

Cafes, restaurants and stores can only operate home deliveries and take-out, the ministry said.

The decision is "subject to revision".

The Gulf kingdom made the announcement after trying to control the spread of Covid-19. On May 21 it limited entry to venues and only allowed vaccinated adults who had exceeded 14 days since their second dose to visit pharmacies, banks, supermarkets, hospitals and other facilities.

Bahrain reported a sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases beginning May 17, despite having fully vaccinated nearly 50 per cent of the population.

The new measures come less than 10 days after the reopening of the causeway to Saudi Arabia after Riyadh lifted a travel ban after 14 months.

Ministry officials have been conducting inspections and ordered one restaurant to close and referred 13 others to authorities for Coronavirus-related violations and failure to abide by precautionary measures.

The ministry announced a ban on non-Bahraini citizens coming from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal entering the country from May 23, with the exception of GCC nationals or individuals with Bahraini or GCC residence visas

"All arrivals from the mentioned countries are required to present a certificate confirming the result of a negative PCR test containing a QR code, no more than 48 hours before their arrival," the ministry said.

"All arrivals must conduct a PCR test upon arrivals, a second PCR test for arrivals who will stay in Bahrain for a period of more than 5 days, and a third PCR test ten days after the date of arrival for those who will reside in Bahrain for a period of more than 10 days."

Bahrain has vaccinated 732,710 people. It reported 2,766 new cases on Tuesday and 12 deaths, bringing the death toll to 878 and the number of cases to over 220,000.