Bahrain to close shopping malls, restaurants for two weeks to contain pandemic

Bahrain will close shopping malls, restaurants and coffee shops for two weeks starting from Thursday as part of efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus, state TV reported.

Beauty salons, spas and barber shops will also close and no event or conference should be held during this period, it said, citing the national committee to combat the pandemic.

Bahrain's health ministry on Tuesday reported 28 deaths from COVID-19, the highest daily toll in the country, which has seen a surge in coronavirus cases to record levels.

Last week, Bahrain restricted access to most public venues to immunised people after the spike in infections, which authorities mostly blamed on large gatherings during the Holy Month of Ramadan and Eid holiday.

Bahrain, a country of 1.7 million people, late on Monday reported 2,800 new COVID-19 infections to take its tally to more than 220,800 cases. It has reported a total of over 840 deaths. It registered 3,177 new infections the previous day.

Earlier this month authorities said they would expand the vaccination campaign to include adolescents aged 12-17.