Bahrain has announced it is no longer mandatory for people to wear face masks indoors and outdoors.
The decision, announced on Wednesday by the country’s National Taskforce for Combating Covid-19, can be reversed if needed, the authorities said.
“Individuals must protect themselves when dealing with elderly people and those suffering from chronic diseases,” the taskforce said.
Healthcare workers must continue to wear masks, it said.
Authorities in Bahrain also suspended a traffic light mechanism that was used to monitor the spread of infection.
“Based on the latest developments and data related to the coronavirus, it has been decided to suspend the traffic light mechanism with effect from Monday and to reactivate it whenever the need arises,” the taskforce said.
Last July, the country adopted the four-tier system that monitors the spread of the disease and also the types of services and centres that can be made available to the public.
The levels are green, yellow, orange and red, and were based on the number of positive daily cases.
In November, the taskforce updated the system to be based on a rolling average of Covid-19 patients in intensive care units.
Since the start of the outbreak in early 2020, Bahrain has recorded about 552,890 cases and 1,470 deaths.
On Tuesday, the Health Ministry recorded 735 new cases and one death.
