Bahrain to pay private sector salaries as Gulf struggles to shield migrant workers

Bahrain will spend $570 million on paying salaries to all 100,000 of its citizens employed in the private sector from April to June to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the labor ministry said on Wednesday.

The government of Bahrain, the least wealthy among Gulf Arab oil producers, will also pay electricity and water bills for all Bahraini citizens and businesses and will extend some tax breaks on properties and tourism, it said in a statement.

“Bahrain has set up an electronic platform where businessmen will start subscribing on April 8 to benefit from the government’s plan to pay workers in the private sector,” the labor ministry said in a statement sent to Reuters.

The initiative is part of a $11 billion stimulus package announced by Bahrain last month.

Regional governments have announced stimulus packages to support their economies as they implement drastic measures to combat the new coronavirus, including suspending passenger flights, imposing curfews and closing most public venues.

The total number of cases in the six Gulf Arab states has steadily risen to pass 9,000, with 67 deaths. The UAE has seen its count more than double since April 1.

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Bahrain to pay private sector salaries, utility bills.

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Oman says spread among migrant workers poses challenge.

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Coronavirus cases in Gulf Arab region pass 9,000.

“Our biggest challenge is among expatriate workers,” Omani Health Minister Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al-Saidi told a local radio station, adding that Omani authorities would ramp up testing as the number of cases was expected to peak this month.

Oman, like other Gulf states, has locked down an area with a large population of low-wage foreign workers, who make up the bulk of the region’s labor force. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have urged Gulf states to protect migrant workers, many of whom live in overcrowded accommodation which makes it difficult for them to social distance.

Saidi said the coastal commercial district of Muttrah, sealed off last week, had the biggest spread of infections and authorities would start random testing there. He added that Oman had secured lab equipment and protective gear from China.

Oman has the lowest number of cases among Gulf states at 419 while the UAE has the second highest after much larger neighbor Saudi Arabia, with counts of 2,359 and 2,795 respectively.

Saudi Arabia has imposed a 24-hour curfew in major cities including Riyadh. Dubai, the region’s business hub, has imposed a full curfew and closed off Al

Ras district where many migrant workers live and work.

Authorities in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi and in Dubai are using some hotels to monitor people with minor cases of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

UAE federal, Abu Dhabi government and Dubai government media offices have not responded to Reuters requests for comment on capacity at health facilities.