The National Medical Taskforce for Combating COVID-19 held a meeting last week to assess the ground-situation regarding the spread of the pandemic in Bahrain. The meeting was chaired by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, HE Lieutenant-General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.

During the meeting, key government officials and policymakers discussed and reviewed the latest COVID-19 developments within the Kingdom, including the spike in the number of active cases, as well as the measures being taken to halt the spread of the virus.

The following decisions were taken at the meeting and the final nod was given to begin their implementation starting Feb 07, 2021:

• All government organizations will allow a maximum of 70% of employees to work from home.

• All in-door gyms, sports halls, and swimming pools will remain temporarily closed. However, outdoor gyms and sports venues can continue operating with a maximum of 30 individuals.

• All indoor exercise classes will be temporarily halted.

• All social gatherings and private events with more than 30 attendees are to be temporarily halted. This also applies to all events held at home or private locations.

The aforementioned guidelines will remain in effect at least until Feb 20, 2021.

The taskforce expressed its optimism that all these measures will help the government to slow down the spread of the disease and eventually mitigate it in the foreseeable future.