Bahrain's Interior Ministry has called upon people to refrain from holding and attending public gatherings in the next two weeks, reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

The plea comes as authorities work to ensure proper measures are in place to prevent the potential transmission of Covid-19 virus within the kingdom.

Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa pledged that all internal safety procedures were being reviewed and upgraded to combat the spread of the virus, as the country has registered 33 positive cases of Covid-19, stated the report.

All of them are receiving treatment at the Ebrahim Khalil Kanoo Medical Centre in Salmaniya and  are in stable condition. They had all tested positive after arriving from Iran via indirect flights, stated the GDN report citing senior health officials.

Ministry has threatened action against those who have returned from Iran in February and are yet to come forward for testing.

The move by the Interior Ministry comes after it was revealed that only 310 of the 2,292 travellers who arrived from Iran throughout February have contacted the dedicated hotline for Covid-19, 444.

Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, all public events set to take place in the Northern Governorate, the country’s most populous one, have been cancelled.

Northern Governor Ali Al Asfoor said yesterday that the move to postpone events and meetings in the Northern Governorate was out of concern for public health.

In a major move, a number of private schools have decided to continue studies remotely from next week amid the suspension of classes due to Covid-19.

Classes in all public and private schools, higher education institutions and kindergartens were suspended for two weeks, starting from last Wednesday based on instructions from the Education Ministry in line with precautionary measures to contain the spread of the virus.

It follows directives of the Government’s Executive Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, said the ministry authorities.

While, some private schools have taken the initiative to continue studies remotely, other Indian curriculum schools have opted to continue with their board exams.

Elsewhere, authorities said strict health measures are being enforced at gatherings in churches and temples around Bahrain to combat the virus.

The Sacred Heart Church in Manama, which holds masses throughout the week, has called off its children’s service for two weeks, while worshippers gathering at the Awali premises of the Catholic Church have been urged to follow health instructions.

Sacred Heart Church head Father Xavier Marian D’Souza said worshippers have been strictly instructed not to shake hands and follow precautionary health measures.

The Manama Hindu Temple, which gathers thousands of people, too has implemented safety measures as it continues its rituals this weekend.

“Daily we have around 500 to 1,000 people coming to the temple and on weekends this number goes up to 3,000 people,” said administrator Sharad Kulkarni.

“The rituals will go on as usual and offerings will be distributed in containers, so there is no touching of hands involved.”

Amid the Covid virus crisis, Arab health ministers met in Cairo yesterday (February 28) to plan a co-ordinated strategy to prevent an outbreak in the region. Health Minister Faeqa Al Saleh headed Bahrain’s delegation.

The extraordinary meeting was held on the sidelines of an ordinary session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers and its executive office at the headquarters of the Arab League’s General Secretariat in Cairo.

The meeting began with a presentation by the Chinese Ambassador to Egypt and its representative in the Arab League, where he outlined developments taking place in this field in China and the measures taken to protect China and the world at large.

Then the World Health Organisation regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean gave a presentation on the situation in the region and the measures needed to combat the virus.

The meeting adopted a joint statement on the emerging coronavirus that highlighted the need to co-ordinate Arab efforts to address the virus and take preventive measures to limit the spread of this viral epidemic.

Meanwhile, regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has announced a temporary ban on GCC nationals from entering Makkah and Madinah.

The Foreign Ministry announced on Twitter that the ban excludes those who have been in Saudi 14 consecutive days and have not shown symptoms.

In the region, Iran was the worst affected with at least 245 people having been infected leading to 26 deaths, reported News York Times citing senior health officials.

Experts estimate the number of infections is far higher, possibly over a thousand, because the country’s fatality rate of about 20 per cent seems so high. The World Health Organization has said the fatality rate is about 2 percent.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, President Hassan Rouhani’s deputy for women’s affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, was one of the high-profile victims.

A senior figure in Iran’s government, who sits just a few seats away from President Hassan Rouhani at cabinet meetings, Ebtekar has fallen ill with coronavirus, making her Iran’s seventh official to test positive, including one prominent cleric who has died.

The disclosure came a day after a cabinet meeting in which she was in close contact with other government leaders, including Rouhani, stated the NYT report.  

Meanwhile, UAE has announced that it is "well prepared and equipped for the worst-case scenarios" as the coronavirus spreads in the Middle East.

"We have enough facilities to quarantine patients and relevant bodies have been instructed to undertake complete surveillance of all people entering the country", an official from the UAE National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority told Reuters.

The UAE has reported 13 people have been diagnosed with the infection, of whom three have recovered and two are in critical condition, it added.

In the region, Iran was the worst affected with at least 245 people having been infected leading to 26 deaths, reported News York Times citing senior health officials.

Experts estimate the number of infections is far higher, possibly over a thousand, because the country’s fatality rate of about 20 per cent seems so high. The World Health Organization has said the fatality rate is about 2 percent.

Masoumeh Ebtekar, President Hassan Rouhani’s deputy for women’s affairs and the highest-ranking woman in the government, was one of the high-profile victims.

A senior figure in Iran’s government, who sits just a few seats away from President Hassan Rouhani at cabinet meetings, Ebtekar has fallen ill with coronavirus, making her Iran’s seventh official to test positive, including one prominent cleric who has died.

The disclosure came a day after a cabinet meeting in which she was in close contact with other government leaders, including Rouhani, stated the NYT report.  

Kuwait will be checking visiting ships for the new coronavirus before allowing them to dock and require crew members to stay on board as part of measures to prevent the spread of the disease, reported state news agency KUNA said.

Earlier on Friday, the Gulf state confirmed two more cases of the virus in the country, bringing the total number of infections to 45.

Kuwait announced several precautionary measures on Thursday including forcing all flight passengers to sign a waiver that would make them subject to quarantine for a minimum of two weeks at the Kuwaiti authorities' discretion, it added.