An iftar gathering in Bahrain ended with 16 family members contracting COVID-19 from one sick relative.
The family members were infected due to a failure to follow precautionary measures such as avoiding gatherings, wearing masks and social distancing. The infected person spread the contagious disease to all present family members, including parents, siblings as well as several children.
“It is everyone’s responsibility to adhere to guidelines and precautionary measures in order to prevent the spread of the virus,” the Ministry of Health of Bahrain said.
The ministry added it is ramping up its efforts and expanding its testing capacity to maintain everyone’s safety through the early detection of cases and contact tracing
The ministry also reported another 179 active COVID-19 cases among 157 expatriate workers and 22 contacts of active cases, in addition to six additional recoveries.
Bahrain has recorded 4,774 total infection cases, with 2,055 recoveries and eight deaths so far.
The small island kingdom allowed shops and industrial enterprises to reopen last week as the government eased restrictions implemented to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
May this be a lesson to all muslims and traditions of iftari dawats in Pakistan. Right now is not the time to throw all caution to the wind and resume everyday life. There are still people dying everyday and the infected number of people in Pakistan increasing at a rapid rate, with John Hopkins University rating Pakistan the 20th most infected country in the world.
Wash your hands, practice social distancing and stay home to save lives.