Bahrain Faces Severest Wave since Coronavirus Outbreak, Gov't Slogan's Money First

2021-05-22 - 10:16 p

Bahrain Mirror (Exclusive): Bahrain is facing the severest wave of Coronavirus one year after the pandemic outbreak in the country, since March 2020.

The country kept registering record numbers in cases on a daily basis. The Health Ministry said on Wednesday (May 19, 2021) that it recorded 2,354 infections and death of 8 individuals.

773 deaths have been recorded since the virus outbreak.

Frontline workers told Bahrain Mirror that they are afraid of the health system collapse with the rapid outbreak of the virus.

Bahrain recorded an increase in the number of infections of about 40% just in two days.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry didn't give any explanation for this increase in infections. Some workers believe that new strains which are considered more rapid in spreading have reached Bahrain.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) warned of the seriousness of the Indian strain of the virus, Bahrain kept its door open for Indian travelers.

Gulf Air didn't stop the daily 4 flights from and to India.

In the same context, Lufthansa Group announced transferring the stopover of Indian flights from Dubai to Manama.

Lufthansa also changed the track of its flights to India through Bahrain due to the restrictions imposed by the United Arab Emirates on the flights coming from India. The Indian company said that the decision came into effect last Sunday.

In conjunction with the approval to welcome 4 flights for the German company from and to India, Bahrain allowed the opening of King Fahd Causeway for people coming from Saudi Arabia.

Thousands of Saudi travelers entered Bahrain in the early hours of Sunday.

Social media activists circulated videos of Arab travelers and said that you can enter Saudi Arabia through a short stay in Bahrain, which opens its air for everyone.

Al-Wefaq deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Hussein Al-Daihi criticized the government's decision to turn Bahrain into "quarantine for other countries by hosting expatriates who are heading to other countries under the title of: safe passage".

"It is the regime's responsibility to manage the health and economic decision that led to this health deterioration caused by the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic."

People who contracted the Coronavirus said that the hospital failed to receive them despite their health conditions which require care.

Abdulamir Abdulrasoul, a citizen infected with Coronavirus, wrote via his Twitter page, "I am witnessing the collapse of the health system (...) five days of oxygen shortage and high temperature and then the doctor in the emergency department tells me that she can't serve me. There is no oxygen, there is no bed and there is no solution. Dozens of people like you are waiting."

Another citizen said that her mother died because the ambulance couldn't reach her in the appropriate time and that her sister-in-law is facing a respiratory problem and that hospitals apologized for not being able to admit her due to a lack of beds.

Amid the financial crisis Bahrain has been facing for years, it seems that the government took a decision to prioritize economic interest over health security. It is feared that the health system will be completely unable to provide care for the infected within days.

 

Arabic Version