The Ministry of Health will continue randomly selecting citizens and residents to test for the Covid-19, as part of a comprehensive national response to the global spread of the virus.

 In this regard, the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) will select 20 individuals from each housing block on a daily basis, over a duration of 12 days.

Selected individuals will receive an SMS text message notifying them of the date and time of their COVID-19 test, which will take place at the drive-through testing facility located at Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre, and should not exceed five minutes. 

The individuals are required to bring a valid ID for identification purposes, the ministry said in a statement. Through this process, the Ministry of Health aims to conduct more than 9,000 COVID-19 tests for randomly selected citizens and residents.

The individuals may be accompanied by family members, who will also have the option to get tested, provided that the individuals and their accompanying parties all arrive together in the same vehicle.

These randomised tests, alongside other precautionary methods, such as wearing a face mask in public settings, practicing social distancing, washing hands and using an alcohol-based sanitiser, are each designed to curb the spread of the virus, the ministry added.

The Ministry reminds citizens and residents to adhere to health recommendations that encourage all to stay at home when possible and practice social distancing, particularly during outdoor recreation, at social obligations and at places where goods and services are bought and sold, the statement concluded.

In a further development today, GDNonline’s Raji Unnikrishnan reported that the ministry had updated details of contact tracing for 166 cases registered in the last week. 

The additions included migrant workers from labour camps and other areas, plus Bahrainis, including a one-year-old girl who arrived from Iran last week. 

• For the full report read the GDN tomorrow.

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