Bahrain adds $470 mln in expenditures to 2020 budget for coronavirus impact- BNA

Bahrain will add 177 million dinars ($470 million) to its 2020 state budget in emergency expenditures arising from fighting the new coronavirus pandemic, state news agency BNA said on Monday, reporting a royal decree.

The small oil producing Gulf state was bailed out in 2018 with a $10 billion aid package from wealthy Gulf neighbours to avoid a credit crunch and has been working to plug its budget deficit. Bahrain has reported just under 33,000 cases of infection with the coronavirus and 108 deaths.

($1 = 0.3770 Bahraini dinars) (Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by Toby Chopra)