Bahrain reports 77 new coronavirus cases among evacuees from Iran

Bahrain has reported 77 new coronavirus cases amid the 165 repatriated citizens from Iran, Bahrain News Agency confirmed on March 11.

The infectees were taken to an isolation and treatment centre.

The remaining 88 citizens who tested negative of the virus were transferred to a precautionary quarantine centre.

This brings the total number of those infected in the country to 189.

كشفت نتائج الفحوصات المختبرية للدفعة الأولى من المواطنين القادمين على متن الطائرة المؤجرة من الوزارة ضمن خطة إجلاء المواطنين من إيران عن وجود 77 حالة قائمة تم نقلهم لمركز العزل والعلاج، وسلامة 88 شخص تم نقلهم لإحدى مراكز الحجر الصحي الاحترازي #معاً_ضد_الكورونا #فريق_البحرين

— وزارة الصحة | مملكة البحرين ?? (@MOH_Bahrain) March 11, 2020

Bahrain had announced a programme to evacuate its citizens from Iran following the suspension of air travel between the two countries.

The ‘International Covid-19 Repatriation Programme’ (ICRP), given the contagious nature of the virus strain, is operated under vigorous containment protocols, a statement said.

The first phase of the programme was completed today which revealed the new infectees.

The government confirmed that there have been no local transmission cases in Bahrain, and the government will continue to take necessary actions in line with WHO guidelines to protect the public from imported cases.

“The results of laboratory tests for the first batch of citizens arriving on the plane leased from the ministry within the plan to evacuate citizens from Iran, [reveal] there were 77 existing cases that were transferred to the isolation and treatment center,” a tweet by Ministry of Health read.

The total number of coronavirus cases in the GCC, that has globally claimed over 4,000 lives – continues to spiral, reaching close to 400.

Read more: GCC coronavirus update – Total cases near 300, more than 50 recoveries