Dubai: Bahrain announced on Friday it will be relaxing coronavirus restrictions on the Kingdom’s restaurants and cafes, schools, mosques and indoor activities starting Sunday, local media reported.
The new decision comes as the additional COVID-19 measures imposed earlier to curb the outbreak will expire on March 14. After this, restaurants and cafes can restore their internal service by exercising a cap of 30 people at a time.
However, until Sunday, dining at restaurants and cafes is limited to outdoor seating. Indoor gyms and swimming pools are closed during this period. The National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus said, starting Sunday, they will be relaxing COVID-19 restrictions to allow indoor activities at gyms and swimming pools.
The changes will also allow students to take in-person classes at private and public schools, institutions for higher educations, public and private universities, kindergartens licensed by the Ministry of Education, rehabilitation centres affiliated with the Ministry of Labour and Social Development, nurseries, private training centres and institutes licensed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.
However, the authorities said in-person learning is optional, and they are leaving this decision for parents and students to make. Students can choose to receive remote education instead of in-person classes.
As per earlier norms, government agencies must allow up to 70 per cent of their employees to work from home. Lieutenant-General Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, and the head of the Taskforce, also ordered to continue exercising the 30-person limit for social events and gatherings - both indoors and outdoors - until further notice.
