[3] On 12 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that a novel coronavirus was the cause of a respiratory illness in a cluster of people in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, which was reported to the WHO on 31 December 2019.
[3] On 24 February, a Bahraini woman arriving at the Bahrain International Airport from Iran via Dubai was examined as part of the precautionary measures and tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
[13][14] Civil Aviation Affairs in Bahrain announced that suspension of flights to and from Dubai International Airport was extended for an additional 48 hours.
[21] On 16 March, the Ministry of Health reported that a 65-year-old Bahraini woman had died from the coronavirus, marking the first death in Bahrain and the Persian Gulf region from the disease.
[22] On the same day, the national coronavirus task force launched an appeal for volunteers to provide medical and administrative support during the crisis.
[23] On 17 March, the Bahraini government unveiled an $11.39 billion stimulus package to support the country's economy during the pandemic, also covering water and electricity bills over the next 3 months.
[29] Bahrain banned the export of hand sanitizers and detergents for a period of 3 months owing to unprecedented domestic demand.
[32] On 25 March, a 78-year-old Bahraini male with chronic illnesses reportedly died of the coronavirus, becoming the fourth confirmed death in the country.
On the same day, a group of 61 Bahraini pilgrims were evacuated from Iran on a chartered flight and placed in quarantine or treatment centers, 30% of whom tested positive for COVID-19.
[39] St. Christopher's School began 3-D printing face visors for healthcare staff at the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital and Awali Cardiac Centre.
The measures were announced to reduce the spread of COVID-19 from non-compliant quarantined individuals; the wristband is paired with the user's smartphone and sends an automatic warning once there is a 15-metre distance between the two.
[50] On the same day, the Bahrain Defence Force Hospital opened a 130-bed field intensive care unit, intended for treating COVID-19 patients.
[52] On 15 April, the Ministry of Health announced the 7th death from COVID-19; a 60 year old Bahraini male with chronic illnesses who contracted the virus from a returnee.
[53] On 16 April, the Royal Humanitarian Foundation launched the Feena Khair (There is Good in Us) campaign that aims to collect financial and material donations to assist in tackling the pandemic in Bahrain.
[54] On 17 April, 44 new cases of COVID-19 were announced; 22 were returnees from Iran, 10 contracted the disease from contacts, 2 were migrant workers while the aetiology of the spread is unspecified in the remaining 10 patients.
The e-service was setup to enable more than 100 participating shops to sell goods and services to customers amid physical closures of stores.
[59] On 27 April, research from Google reportedly showed that Bahrain had the least reduction in mobility (-21.2%) amongst the Gulf Cooperation Council states, largely believed to be due to an avoidance of a complete lockdown as opposed to its neighbours.
[62] On 14 May, Bahrain's National Health Regulatory Authority issued permits to private hospitals to conduct COVID-19 testing on non-infected patients or asymptomatic cases for a fee.
[64] On 29 May, Bahraini police arrested a man who claimed COVID-19 was a hoax and for spreading false news in contravention of the country's public health law .
[68] On 18 June, the Bahraini newspaper Al Watan reported the termination of a large number of foreigners in the public sector, according to an anonymous parliamentary source.
[73] In November and December 2020, the National Health Regulatory Authority of Bahrain approved EUAs for the Sinopharm BIBP and the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines, respectively.
[74] Formula One driver, Lewis Hamilton has tested positive for the virus just 2 days after winning the Bahrain Grand Prix.
The prison in question has also been reported to have experienced overcrowding issues making the government's claims of having the situation under control seem dubious.
[82] Three Belgian parliamentarians in April 2021 wrote to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belgium, Sophie Wilmès, demanding her to urge the Bahraini government to look into the COVID-19 situation inside its prisons.
Amongst the three parliamentarians, MP François De Smet cited that difficulty in controlling communicable diseases inside prisons is a global issue.
The French MP appreciated the release of 1500 prisoners in March 2020 due to rising Covid cases, but also highlighted the continued unfair detention of 12 civil society representatives.
[84] On 3 June 2021, the country's National Health Regulatory Authority approved Sotrovimab, a monoclonal antibody, for emergency use in mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.