Bahrain to cover 50% salaries of private sector workers amid COVID-19 pandemic

The kingdom says it also will cover electricity bills at employees' homes Like other Gulf Arab nations, Bahrain has a large population of foreign workers.

The island nation of Bahrain says it will cover 50 percent of the salaries of private-sector workers amid the coronavirus pandemic

The island kingdom off Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf says the program will begin in July and covers "insured citizens employed in the private sector working for companies most affected by the coronavirus." The payments will go on for three months. The kingdom says it also will cover electricity bills at employees' homes

Like other Gulf Arab nations, Bahrain has a large population of foreign workers. The kingdom's announcement is among the most significant aid offered that covers those workers.