العربية
‘Allamah Sayed Abdullah Al-Ghuraifi expressed his gratitude for civil and official parties for their national efforts of confronting coronavirus in Bahrain. Al-Ghuraifi called on the prominent religious scholars in Bahrain, including Ayatollah Sheikh Issa Qassem, to adhere to the medical instructions issued by the concerned party, including the suspension of religious gatherings, Friday prayers, and congregational prayers.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, March 17, 2020, Sayed Al-Ghuraifi thanked “all the official parties, and medical cadres, (…) for their exerted efforts in confronting coronavirus”. In the statement, he emphasized that “standing side by side for confronting this pandemic”, and stressed on “the importance of being collaborative with official procedures and of taking part, to the greatest extent possible, in national committees”. Al-Ghuraifi expressed “full preparedness to cooperate and collaborate with the concerned official circles” for confronting this epidemic.
Crown Prince Sheikh Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa had stressed that “responsible mature citizens participating in the procedures are the best supporters for the collective efforts for confronting coronavirus”.
The coordination committee for the national team for confronting coronavirus – headed by the Crown Prince – had issued decisions for implementation starting from Wednesday, March 18, 2020, for an extendable period of one month, which includes procedures for containing the virus, and regulating the living and economic conditions in the country in light of the current situation.
The crown prince emphasized that “confronting coronavirus requires from everyone to have a sense of national responsibility…for containing the spread of this epidemic that does not distinguish between anyone”.
The government of Bahrain had announced a series of procedures due to the implications of the medical situation in the country, and around the world. The procedures included restructuring loans, delaying the payment of installments, and exempting industrial and commercial institutions from rental fees for a period of three months. The government also announced that they would pay electricity and water bills at a cost of 150 million Dinars for individuals and companies for a period of three months starting April. In addition to that, the government also decided to pay the salaries of citizens in the private sector for the coming three months from the unemployment fund at a cost of 215 million dinars.
A Bahraini financial source said that the decisions of the government supervised by the Crown Prince are “revolutionary with distinction, and reflect the state of emergency being experienced by the country and the whole world”. He also clarified that “these decisions express a deep outlook for the future by the crown prince, with the financial and economic situation in the country being not so well, and since the country will be affected by coronavirus like the rest of the world. But the decisions issued by the Crown Prince were a result of thinking of the current effects [of the virus], and were primarily considering the health and interests of citizens”.
It is worth noting that the governmental decisions were based on approving a financial package worth 4.3 billion dinars and allocating them to face the effects of Corona. These decisions took into account the effects resulting from the cessation of commercial activity, normal work, and natural movement due to the epidemic.
Activists and bloggers have invited Bahraini companies and businessmen to contribute to reducing the negative impacts caused by Corona, especially on the livelihood of citizens and residents in the country.