THE Health Ministry yesterday said that a face mask was mandatory indoors on days when the country steps into the green zone.
The ministry, on its Twitter post, reiterated this as a response to a public query – “Should we continue to wear masks in public places?” – being shared on social media since Tuesday.
The ministry said while on green level, members of the public should ‘still abide by social distancing’ and wear face masks ‘indoors’.
The GDN attempted to get an official clarification on the predominant concern on social media, however, no response was issued by the authorities until last night.
The GDN yesterday reported that Bahrain will be opening up tomorrow and moving to the ‘green level’ as a result of falling Covid-19 cases. This was announced by the National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus on Tuesday, which added that new restrictions will be introduced over Eid with the kingdom adopting ‘orange level’ in the interest of public health during the Arafah and Eid Al Adha holidays, from Monday to Thursday.
“While in green level, public should still abide by social distancing and wear face masks indoors,” said the ministry.
“While in orange, yellow and red levels, there should be social distancing and face masks, but worn both indoors and outdoors.”
Bahrain has adopted the four-tier traffic-light system based on Covid-19 positivity rates to guide sector activities.
Amidst public discussions on ‘face mask-free green zone’, top medics in the country opted not to comment on the topic. However, they called on people to be vigilant and cautious.
Dr Al Qahtani
“We are happy as we reap the fruits of our commitment to precautionary and preventive measures,” said Taskforce monitoring committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani on his Twitter.
“(However), do not compromise until we reach a full recovery.
“Patience, awareness, commitment and a balanced, thoughtful optimism and caution is an approach we have to apply in a time of challenges and epidemics.”
Dr Cheriyan
American Mission Hospital chief executive Dr George Cheriyan urged the public to maintain social distancing and continue hand sanitisation as the pandemic is not over yet.
“All high-risk individuals will still have to take precautions before relaxing and going back to a pre-Covid style of living,” he told the GDN.
“Mutant strains will still pose a challenge in the time to come.”
Dr Rao
His opinion was backed by Royal Bahrain Hospital internist Dr Sunil Rao.
“High-risk category people must discuss vaccination measures including booster dose with their healthcare providers. They must take maximum precautions by continuing to wash hands, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.”
Bahraini consultant family physician Dr Hind Al Sindi also welcomed the green zone announcement with caution.
“Bahrain today is one of the leading countries to announce the beginning of the green zone and that masks are no longer mandatory outdoors,” she said.
“Nevertheless, I will encourage the community to comply with precautionary measures. The drop in cases witnessed during the past month reflects the great awareness and responsibility of the Bahraini community.
“The green zone gives the freedom for all to utilise almost all services, yet maintaining social distancing and with face masks indoors.”
Meanwhile, Dr Al Qahtani in a statement reiterated the safety of mixing Covid-19 vaccines.
The GDN reported last month that the senior medic had taken to social media, allaying public fears over vaccine mixing, asserting that the procedure was safe and effective.
“The safety of vaccine mixing is confirmed from a scientific point of view, and also on the contrary, it has proven its effectiveness in strengthening immunity,” he said.
He had earlier highlighted that Bahrain was among seven countries in the world mixing Covid-19 jabs.
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