Bahrain detects 143 new coronavirus cases, bringing total infections to 1,001

Bahrain confirmed that it detected 143 new coronavirus cases, of which 128 were expatriate workers, bringing the total number of infections to 1,001 as of Wednesday, according to the island Kingdom’s health authorities.

Health officials in Bahrain also confirmed 15 new recoveries from the COVID-19 coronavirus, bringing the total number of recoveries so far to 998 since the outbreak first began.

“The Ministry of Health has announced 15 new recoveries from COVID-19 and registered 143 new active cases, of which 128 are expatriate workers, 13 are contacts of active cases and 2 are travel-related,” the health ministry said in a statement.

Read more: Bahrain turns car park into ICU for coronavirus patients

“The Ministry has taken all precautionary measures, including testing, quarantining and providing medical treatment, regarding the 128 new active cases among expatriate workers and their contacts, in cooperation with their employers,” health officials added.

Bahrain’s health authorities also said the 128 new active cases among expatriate workers were detected following the testing of 3,288 expatriate workers conducted during the past 24 hours as part of an ongoing campaign to test workers at their place of residence.

Bahrain became one of the first countries to ease coronavirus restrictions last week when it re-opened shopping malls and some stores on April 9. Shop workers and customers will be required to wear masks while they are in the stores, according to Bahrain’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism.

Read more: Bahrain one of first nations to ease lockdown as malls reopen

The island Kingdom was among the first countries in the Arabian Gulf to enforce strict restrictions, including closing all movie theaters, gyms, public swimming pools, and theme parks on March 18.

(With inputs from Al Arabiya English’s Tamara Abueish)

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