Covid-19: Bahrain shuts all schools, closes dine-in services at restaurants

Bahrain’s health ministry said on Wednesday that all public and private schools, universities, and kindergartens licensed by the Ministry of Education in the country will move to remote learning for three weeks to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.

The ministry confirmed that a new variant of the coronavirus was detected, without specifying further details.

المانع: القرارات المتخذة تشمل تعليق الحضور والاكتفاء بالتعلُم عن بُعد بالمدارس الحكومية والخاصة ومؤسسات التعليم العالي الحكومية والخاصة ورياض الأطفال المرخصة من قبل وزارة التربية والتعليم #نواصل_بحذر #كلنا_فريق_البحرين

— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين ?? (@MOH_Bahrain) January 27, 2021

Physical attendance will however continue in private schools and centers for people with special needs.

Also, all dine-in services at restaurants and cafes will be suspended for three weeks. These new restrictions will go into effect on Sunday, January 31.

المانع: تقرر أيضاً إيقاف تقديم الخدمات الداخلية في المطاعم والمقاهي بدءًا من 31 يناير الجاري ولمدة ثلاثة أسابيع #نواصل_بحذر #كلنا_فريق_البحرين

— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين ?? (@MOH_Bahrain) January 27, 2021

Officials added the extent to which all precautionary and preventive measures are adhered to will be the deciding factor when either relaxing the current restrictions, or imposing new ones.

Bahrain, this week, approved the emergency use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India under the name Covishield.

Read: Bahrain approves emergency use of Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine

Covishield is the third vaccine to receive emergency authorisation in Bahrain following Sinopharm and Pfizer-BioNTech.

Earlier this month, Bahraini officials confirmed that a January shipment of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had been delayed due to production and supply processes on the manufacturers’ side.