Bahrain on Tuesday extended COVID-19 precautionary measures starting Friday until June 25, including a decision to close shops, restaurants and recreational centers.
The National Medical Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), headed by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health, Lieutenant-General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, said in a statement it was closing shopping malls and commercial shops, restaurants and cafes, gyms, swimming pools, recreational centers and cinemas.
It also said schools and higher educational institutions, kindergartens, rehabilitation centers, nurseries and training centers, will also close, with the exception of attendance for international examinations.
The Taskforce added that work-from-home policy to cover 70% of government employees and current travel procedures to Bahrain will remain in effect.
However, the closure decision excludes supermarkets, grocery stores, all bakeries, fuel and gas filling stations, private health clinics, banks, pharmacies, factories and enterprises operating in the telecommunication sector.
Separately, the Kuwaiti Health Ministry authorized on Tuesday the emergency use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccine against the novel coronavirus.
The authorization was issued after thorough review of relevant scientific data and reports and after conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the vaccine's safety, efficacy and quality, Assistant Undersecretary for Drug and Food Control Dr. Abdullah Al-Bader said.
In a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), he said that the ministry’s technical committee also reviewed the results of vaccine clinical trials, particularly those related to the effectiveness and safety of the jabs.
This week, Kuwait contracted with US pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to supply it with their coronavirus vaccines.
Kuwaiti Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Bassel Al Sabah expected the delivery of the two vaccines later this year.
