Bahrain Mirror: September recorded the highest Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Bahrain since the outbreak of the virus.

Manama recorded about 19,000 infections this month, including 15,000 Bahrainis! Black September claimed the lives of 42 Bahrainis and 19 expatriates due to the epidemic, in a death toll close to that recorded in June.

Despite doubts about the percentages of Coronavirus deaths, as was the case with late cleric Sheikh Abdulbari Mohammed Nasr Al-Marzouq, the acceleration of deaths in the country has been remarkable. September recorded 24% of all COVID-19 deaths in Bahrain (to date).

This means the total number of cases doubled in just two and a half months (out of 7 months; i.e. the time period of the crisis), breaking the 70,000 threshold, keeping Bahrain second in the world in terms of infections with respect to population.

The global political events covered this unprecedented increase in the number of infections and death. The media was busy covering other events like the Bahraini and Emirati announcement of full diplomatic relations with Israel, the death of Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad, so the people were distracted from the dangerous level the epidemic has reached.

The competent authorities, in their turn, tried to draw attention to the seriousness of the situation, and changed the theme of the daily announcement it publishes on the statistics of infections and deaths to red instead of blue, while the Crown Prince set October 1st as the initial date to stop the measures and precautions imposed, and then extended them for two weeks, in a new policy.

In this context, the government decided to postpone schooling in public schools until October 11, and postpone the return of administrative, educational and technical staff until October 4, and delay the resumption of internal services in restaurants and cafes until October 24.

Major companies led by Bapco have returned to the system of work from home, while a number of private schools have decided to limit the pattern of study to distance learning, and postpone the resumption of student attendance one month, after the discovery of cases among members of its educational and administrative staff.

In contrast, some private schools and kindergartens have already resumed receiving students during the last week, for the first time in more than 6 months. Parents said that some classes were attended by only four students. 

However, hopes of returning to normal life soon diminished considerably after the recent wave. Although the average weekly infection has declined from about 719 to 550 recently, the risks are still very high, amid these records. The number of existing cases (at the same time) exceeded 6,400 earlier this month, while 60 cases remain in intensive care rooms.

Digital media estimated the number of children infected with Coronavirus in Bahrain (two weeks ago) at 2,000.

In the same context, Bahrain's obsequies were completely empty of mourners on the anniversary of the death of Imam Hassan, the second Shiite imam, and until yesterday the Iraqi authorities were sticking to their stance not to allow the entry of any visitor from any country to the Arbaeen (the 40th day after martyrdom) of Imam Hussein, which is attended by thousands of Bahrainis each year. However, the Iraqi authorities announced later that it will allow the entry of 1,500 visitors from each country.

Apart from religious gatherings in Ashura, there were infections caused by gatherings in swimming pools. Meanwhile, the most important factor in the virus spreading was family meetings and workplaces. More than 100 infections were recently recorded among passengers.

In terms of travel, Saudi Arabia opened the King Fahd Causeway for the first time in six months to allow the crossing of the only land port to Bahrain from both sides, amid strict conditions and procedures and regulatory chaos at the beginning. The most important obstacle to Bahrainis crossing into Saudi Arabia was the COVID-19 test and its costs of at least 40 dinars, which was later resolved by the addition of the test certificate printing service on the government application for the epidemic, thus citizens wishing to travel now can benefit from the free random examination to cross the bridge.

A number of countries, including Austria, have placed Bahrain on the list of high-risk countries and have banned the entry of any passengers from it. The British government's travel warnings and instructions website considered that there was a high risk of getting infected with Coronavirus in Bahrain and the Government advised all travelers to avoid unnecessary travel to Bahrain. Besides, the British government imposed two weeks quarantine on those arriving from Bahrain to the UK.

Globally, with 1 million coronavirus deaths worldwide and nearly 35 million infections, a WHO official said the number of Coronavirus deaths could reach 2 million before a successful vaccine is widely used. WHO considered the situation at a sensitive stage and spiraling out of control.

While the organization said the rate of infections is alarmingly increasing in the European continent, warning of a harsh autumn there, European countries, including Britain, have reimposed restrictions on movement and assembly amid popular opposition.

In the United States of America, President Donald Trump has declared that he and his wife tested positive, in a development that is most notable ahead of next month's presidential election. In the US, more than 7 million infections were reported, while the number of victims exceeded 200,000.

Arabic Version