Administrative circular to the Minister of Labor and Social Development: The working hours of rehabilitation centers and institutes will be on October 25th
12-10-2020
In implementation of the directives issued by the Coordination Committee, chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister, regarding the 2020‑2021 academic year for public schools and disability‑rehabilitation centres, and to guarantee the uninterrupted provision of academic, vocational and therapeutic services for persons with disabilities while observing all COVID‑19 precautionary measures, His Excellency Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Minister of Labour and Social Development, has issued an administrative circular. Under this circular, every administrative, educational and technical employee at governmental, civil and private rehabilitation centres will return to on-site duties at full capacity on Sunday, 11 October 2020, while students will resume attendance on Sunday, 25 October 2020. Humaidan confirmed that these decisions follow comprehensive health‑protection preparations: all staff have undergone medical screening, and strict protocols have been introduced to safeguard the well-being of employees, students and their families. Class sizes are limited to six students per specialist; trainers must replace face masks and gloves after every beneficiary; and blended delivery allows classroom sessions to be combined with virtual rehabilitation whenever programme requirements dictate. Parents may opt for distance learning if they prefer, and centres are required to maintain interactive online communication so students who remain at home can follow lessons in real time. The circular mandates daily disinfection of classrooms, rehabilitation areas, equipment, and offices in accordance with Ministry of Health guidelines, continuous availability of hand-sanitising stations across facilities, proper ventilation, allocation of individual materials to each beneficiary, and sterilisation of all shared items after use. Social‑distancing rules and daily temperature checks for staff and beneficiaries are compulsory, and any suspected cases must be reported immediately to the national hotline (444). To ensure full compliance, the Ministry of Labour and Social Development and the Bahrain Volunteer Team will conduct periodic random inspections of all rehabilitation centres. Facilities that fail to observe the stipulated requirements will face penalties, including closure and legal action.