ONE of the Bahrain Rugby Football Club’s maintenance staff members has been put at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and has been instructed to ‘self-isolate’ in line with the current government health protocols.
The situation was revealed to club members by its management and executive committee after the popular expat sports and social facility in Janabiya had closed its doors last Wednesday following official guidelines issued.
“In light of these developments and to ensure the health and safety of all staff and members, a decision has been made to isolate all staff who have been at risk of exposure and in turn the club will now be closed for two weeks without the operational capacity to function effectively,” the committee said in a statement.
“All of the decisions made in light of the Covid-19 concerns are in keeping with the government's integral health protocols during this time. While this decision is a difficult one, we take the safety and health of our guests, staff and community very seriously and we must all be diligent in doing our part to help stem the spread of this disease.”
As reported on GDNonline, six additional cases of Covid-19 were reported after a 71-year-old Bahraini had come in contact with two individuals who arrived from Iran in February.
Applying the contact tracing method, the Health Ministry revealed that he had visited Almosawi Eye Centre on March 5, attended a burial in Hoora Cemetery on March 8 and attended condolences in North Jannusan Maatam on March 9. He was subsequently admitted to Salmaniya Medical Complex with pneumonia on March 12 and was tested negative for the virus. However, the man was later retested for Covid-19, showing positive results. The ministry said on its website that the other six people had contracted the virus after coming in contact with the man. The rugby club statement suggests their staff members self-isolation is likely related to this incident.
The club's chairman Mike Cunningham later told GDNonline that it was being 'proactive' in instructing all staff members to self-isolate as a precautionary measure although in the circumstances it was 'very unlikely' the virus had spread.
