Cairo: Bahrain has brought home 1,200 of its citizens from countries hit by the novel coronavirus, a Bahraini official has said.
The first group, mainly students, was evacuated from China where the virus originated late last year, Undersecretary of Bahraini Foreign Ministry Sheikha Rana Bint Eisa, added.
“The Foreign Ministry has evacuated citizens from several countries including Iran, Iraq, Morocco and Jordan,” she told Bahrain TV Monday night. “The ministry also facilitated the return of citizens from the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council after air traffic was halted there and their land crossings were closed. The overall number of the evacuees has exceed 1,200 so far.”
Bahrain’s plan to repatriate its citizens is going ahead as scheduled, the official said without details.
The evacuation is carried out in coordination with the Bahraini Health Ministry and a national group tasked with combating the coronavirus under a related plan that the government disclosed on March 29.
“This plan has been drawn up in conformity with the medical preparations in the Kingdom of Bahrain and in line with the standards of the World Health Organisation,” she added.
