Manama: Bahrain announced on Wednesday that it has postponed the planned resumption of Friday prayers on June 5, the official news agency BNA said.
The decision comes in the wake of a surge in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the kingdom.
In a statement carried in the BNA, the Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments said, the decision was taken following a meeting between the president of the National Medical Taskforce to combat COVID-19, and the heads of the Sunni and Jaafari endowments overseeing the mosques in the kingdom.
The tripartite meeting decided to procrastinate resumption of Friday prayers following the spike in the number of coronavirus cases resulting from large public gatherings on Eid days, the statement said.
A new date will be decided later subject to the review of the latest developments and in accordance with the Shariah regulations, it added.
On May 26, the ministry said the Friday prayers would resume in mosques starting June 5.
Friday and congregational prayers were suspended at all mosques in the country on 23 March evening onward in order to curb the spread of the deadly pathogen. As a preventive measure, the country imposed a ban on the gatherings of more than five people in public. People were urged to perform their prayers at home.
Bahrain has been witnessing a surge in new infections and related deaths for the past one week, registering 2,882 cases and four deaths. The number signified more than one fifth of the 12,815 infections since the first case was registered on February 21. The infection tally has risen from 2,810 cases on May 3 to 12,815 less than a month later. The five more fatalities in the same week are one quarter of the total deaths now standing at 20.
There are 4,884 active cases in the Kingdom, of which 4,875 are stable and 9 remain critical, according to the Ministry of Health. A total of 7,407 patients have fully recovered and discharged from their designated isolation and treatment centres. And more than 3,30,000 Covid-19 tests have been conducted as of today, it added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that it has increased the capacity of covid-19 treatment centres in the Kingdom. The capacity of isolation and treatment centres stands at 7,187 beds, of which 4,884 are currently occupied, while the capacity of the quarantine centres reached 3,410 beds, of which 599 are currently occupied, Dr. Waleed Al Manea, Ministry Undersecretary said.
He added that isolation and treatment remains available and free for all. Those who wish to receive treatment at a private facility also have the option to do so at their own expense, he said.
