COVID-19: Bahrain keeps mosques closed
Public urged to abide by health rules during Eid to prevent infection spread
Cairo: Bahrain has said that mosques will remain closed for congregation prayers until a “required drop” in COVID-19 cases is achieved.
The Gulf country has repeatedly postponed the reopening of mosques, which was originally scheduled for June 5, due to an increase in virus cases.
Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs said that while the health scene in the kingdom has improved, it has yet to reach the hoped-for level, Akhbar Al Khaleej newspaper reported Thursday.
“Therefore, the council, in light of the recommendations and views of the specialised medical agencies, announces the continued suspension of prayers in mosques and halting group worshipping until the required drop in indexes of the disease spread,” it said in a statement.
The council, moreover, urged the public to abide by health instructions during the Eid Al Adha holiday to help prevent the spread of the disease.
“The council calls on everyone to shoulder religious and patriotic responsibility by observing directives of specialists… and avoid repeating what happened in Eid Al Fitr [in May] when gatherings and other patterns of behaviour resulted in a big increase in the number of infections and deaths,” it added.
Bahrain so far has reported a tally of 40,311 coronavirus infections and 145 fatalities.