Author: News Desk

The Oman Ministry of Health announced 298 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, in which 89 of the new cases are Omanis and the other 209 are in non-Omanis, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 4,019. So far, 17 people have died of the virus and 1,289 others have recovered in the country. The government has since imposed strict measures to prevent the virus from spreading further. The lockdown in the capital Muscat was extended until the end of May and Ramadan mass gatherings were banned. [bkinfobox textcolor=”#ffffff” backgroundcolor=”#ffffff” title=”” infobox_align=”aligncenter”] [/bkinfobox]

Employers in the UAE should pay salaries on time through the wage protection system, the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MoHRE) has stressed. Making the announcement in a tweet, MoHRE called on companies to also document early leaves granted to employees as well as temporary or permanent salary amendments. MoHRE stressed in the tweet that companies can comply with this through the additional temporary annex contract available on the Ministry’s smart app or website. While in an earlier tweet on May 11, MoHRE called on private sector companies to deal with employees infected by coronavirus as pathological cases, in…

31 members of the same family have been infected with the coronavirus (COVID-19) due to the negligence of health guidelines, according to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry noted that some of the members of the Bahraini family had not complied with the precautionary measures and social distancing guidelines issued, even after experiencing symptoms, resulting in the transmission of the virus to a total of 31 individuals. The Ministry further noted that contact tracing efforts are still ongoing to ensure all contacts of the active cases are identified. The ministry stressed the importance of carefully following all health and precautionary guidelines, adding…

The Bahrain Ministry of Health announced 122 new active cases, of which 60 are among expatriate workers, 61 are contacts of active cases, and 1 is travel related. The MOH also registered 10 new COVID-19 recoveries. Bahrain tested a total of 197,898 until now. There are 3,330 active cases. These include 3,325 stable cases and 5 critical cases. 2,192 people have been discharged. Only 9 deaths have been reported until now. This takes the total cases in Bahrain to 5,531. The active cases crossed 3,000 yesterday night. The Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday the death of an 80-year-old male…

Saudi Arabia will introduce a full day lockdown and curfew across the Kingdom during the upcoming Eid holidays from May 23 until May 27, according to the Kingdom’s Interior Ministry. Until then, the currently easing of restrictions – including the resumption of economic activities – will continue until the end of Ramadan. Under the current conditions, people will be allowed outside their homes during the morning for eight hours beginning from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day. The Ministry of Interior also said that Mecca will remain under a full lockdown and curfew for the time being. A ban on entering…

Twitter has told employees they can keep working from home “forever” if they wish. In a statement, the company said it was “one of the first companies to go to a WFH model in the face of COVID-19, but [doesn’t] anticipate being one of the first to return to offices.” The company said if employees are in a role and situation that enables them to work from home and they want to continue doing so “forever,” then “we will make that happen.” “If not, our offices will be their warm and welcoming selves, with some additional precautions, when we feel it’s…

In support of healthcare staff battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the Integrated Transport Centre (ITC), car-sharing app (ekar) and the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) launched an initiative to offer free month-long car rentals for healthcare professionals in Abu Dhabi. The initiative signals recognition of the huge efforts of healthcare workers combating the virus, and aims to ease some of the burdens of healthcare professionals. “This initiative represents the cooperation between government and private sectors in their fight against the outbreak of Covid-19 and provides support to the efforts of healthcare professionals to curb the disease,” the ITC said in…

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and was receiving treatment at hospital, Russian news agencies reported. “Yes, I am sick. I am receiving treatment,” Peskov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Peskov said he had last met Putin in person over a month ago, the TASS news agency reported. The Kremlin says Putin’s health is rigorously protected and that he gets the best medical treatment Russia has to offer. Putin, who has been working remotely from his residence outside Moscow and holding many meetings via…

Minister of Health, HE Faeqa Al Saleh, today announced that the ministry has expanded the capacity of its isolation and quarantine treatment centres across the Kingdom. the capacity at isolation centres now stands at 4,257 beds of which 3,218 are currently occupied, and 5,489 beds at quarantine centres, of which 533 are occupied. HE the Minister added that the ministry is following a comprehensive national plan initiated by the National Taskforce for Combating the Coronavirus (COVID-19), which is continually reviewed and modified based on COVID-19 developments. HE the Minister emphasised that the national efforts undertaken by Team Bahrain, led by…

The World Health Organization said on Tuesday that some treatments appear to be limiting the severity or length of the COVID-19 disease and that it was focusing on learning more about four or five of the most promising ones, reported Reuters. The Geneva-based WHO is leading a global initiative to develop safe and effective vaccines, tests and drugs to prevent, diagnose and treat COVID-19. The respiratory illness has infected 4.19 million people around the world, according to a Reuters tally. WHO official Margaret Harris sounded a note of caution around expectations for a vaccine, however, saying coronaviruses, in general, are…