Bahrain's economy contracted by 8.9% year on year in the second quarter, government data showed on Sunday, as the small Gulf state suffered from restriction measures to contain the new coronavirus.

Authorities in Bahrain have been, for over a month, desperate to complete a round of clinical experiments on a Chinese coronavirus vaccine. The reluctance of people to participate over fear has thwarted government efforts to reach 6,000 participants, requested by the UAE government.

After opening mosques for the first time in 6 months due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Bahraini king performed Friday prayers at a private mosque in Al-Sakhir Palace and he issued an interesting statement in which he spoke about "the conclusion of Ashura commemoration" and said that he wishes "success" for the commemoration rituals.

The Bahraini security authorities have issued 22,000 tickets over no-mask violations during the span of 4 months. The state collected more than 112,000 BD (about $300,000) in cash, since the 5-dinar fine is paid in cash and on the spot.

It is very ironic that the Crown Prince's mask stirs the Bahraini public opinion more than the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, during which Salman bin Hamad promoted McLaren's first mask.

Blind-hearted people will never see the truth even when it is crystal clear.

Middle East airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways have again asked cabin crew to take voluntary unpaid leave as they try to manage the impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to internal memos and sources familiar with the matter.

Only 20 minutes is the time allowed for Husseini obsequies (religious congregation halls) to broadcast live their mourning ceremony during Ashura this year. After the 20-minute mark, these obsequies will be considered to be violating the law, and the authorities will shut them down for 3 years, fining them 10,000 dinars.

The spiritual leader of Shia majority in Bahrain, Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, called for commemorating Ashura away from political tensions, stressing the need that the commemoration be held "outside the scope of harm" while adhering to preventive measures.

Bahrain announced on Wednesday it would end a protocol that required all those arriving in the country to self-isolate at home for 10 days regardless of the outcome of testing, its health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

A medical source expects the number of Coronavirus cases in Bahrain to jump to 600 a day during Ashura, even with the closure of obsequies, as religious commemorations are expected to be held in secret, which will prevent direct tracking.

Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, the spiritual leader of the Shiite majority in Bahrain, called for opening the obsequies under the same conditions other places were opened.

Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, the highest religious authority in Bahrain, described the authorities' prevention of Ashura commemoration in Bahrain as a war against Imam Al-Hussein (PBUH).

The Bahraini authorities are clearly trying to take advantage of the exceptional measures of the Coronavirus pandemic and exploiting this conundrum that many countries around the globe are witnessing in order to intensify the persecution of Shiite citizens in Bahrain.

Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical company Sinopharm has begun Phase III clinical trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in Bahrain, after launching similar trials in the United Arab Emirates last month, Bahrain's health ministry said on Monday.

The Thai embassy in Bahrain's capital of Manama announced on its Facebook page on Monday (August 10) that it was closing temporarily after one of its staff members tested positive for Covid-19.

Suddenly, nearly two months following the announcement of the first Coronavirus case in Bahrain, the numbers hiked beyond expectations, with Bahrain gradually climbing to the second highest country in the world in terms of the number of infections with respect to population.

The Bahraini Interior Ministry said that the reports on Coronavirus cases in Jaw Prison are false.

Human rights activist Ibtisam Al-Saegh said she received a call from one of Jaw prisoners stating that there are Coronavirus cases inside the prison.

A statistical observatory predicts that new COVID-19 cases in Bahrain will continue to decline to less than 900 by August 26, 2020.