* Bahraini minister criticizes Iran for virus response
* Riyadh extends flight ban, issues Friday prayer guidance
* Kuwait begins two-week public holiday, closes bourse
(Adds closures in Saudi Arabia and Qatar)
By Nafisa Eltahir and Lisa Barrington
DUBAI, March 12 (Reuters) - Bahrain accused Iran on Thursday
of "biological aggression" by covering up the spread of the
coronavirus and failing to stamp Bahraini travellers' passports.
As the death toll continued to rise in Iran, Gulf Arab
states took new steps to contain the virus, with Saudi Arabia's
highest religious authority saying anyone diagnosed with
coronavirus was forbidden from attending Friday prayers.
Attendance is generally mandatory for able-bodied men in
Islam, but Riyadh said those under quarantine and those afraid
of being infected or infecting others need not attend.
Many of the recorded infections throughout the Gulf region
are linked to travel to Iran, which hosts several important
shrines and pilgrimage sites for Shi'ite Muslims.
"With this behaviour, Iran has allowed the disease to travel
abroad, and in my estimation this constitutes a form of
biological aggression that is criminalised by international law,
as it has put in danger our safety and health and that of
others," Bahraini Interior Minister General Sheikh Rashid bin
Abdulla Al Khalifa said on Twitter.
In an apparent response, Amir Abdollahian, special aide to
Iran's parliamentary speaker, tweeted: "America, which rules
Bahrain through the presence of its Fifth Fleet, is a major
cause of biological warfare and initially denied the existence
of coronavirus."
Saudi Arabia, which has a minority Shi'ite population and
had already made it a crime to travel to Iran, last week
denounced its regional rival for granting Saudi citizens entry.
Bahrain, where Shi'ites make up a majority of the
population, has no such restrictions.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi has denied
that not stamping passports has anything to do with coronavirus
and called on Riyadh to avoid politicising the epidemic.
No Gulf Arab state has reported a coronavirus death.
But Bahrain on Wednesday reported 77 new infections among
citizens evacuated from Iran. A second government-chartered
repatriation flight was scheduled for Thursday.
Bahrain said non-compliance with isolation measures would be
punishable by up to three months in jail and a fine of up to
10,000 Kuwaiti dinars ($32,000). Three people have already been
reported to the public prosecutor, state news agency BNA said.
FLIGHT BANS
Saudi Arabia, which has suspended the Umrah pilgrimage and
locked down its eastern Qatif region where many infections are
located, announced 24 new cases for a total of 45.
Riyadh halted flights to the European Union and 12 other
countries, extending an earlier ban and giving Saudi citizens
and residents 72 hours to return, state news agency SPA said.
The flight ban now includes many countries from where
millions of Saudi Arabia's migrant workers hail.
Passenger traffic through all land crossings with Jordan was
also suspended. Commercial and cargo traffic continued.
Saudi authorities asked people to avoid shaking hands and
congregating in groups of more than 50. They announced that
wedding halls and hotels would be closed to all social
gatherings from Friday.
Kuwait reported eight new infections, taking its total to
80, and started a two-week public holiday declared to help
contain the virus. Authorities shut the stock market on Thursday
and banned all commercial passenger flights to and from Kuwait.
Oman suspended tourist visas from all countries and banned
cruise ships from docking. The United Arab Emirates reported 11
new cases, taking its total to 85.
Dubai's Emirates airline said it had frozen recruitment and
was suspending flights to Italy until April 3, in addition to
other routes in the United States, Europe and Far East. Sister
carrier flydubai said it was suspending flights to Italy.
Dubai's crown prince announced an AED 1.5 billion ($408
million) stimulus package to support the retail, trade, tourism
and energy sectors. Qatar, which reported 238 new cases among expatriates in a
single residential compound, announced on Thursday the
indefinite closure of cinemas, theatres, gyms and museums.
= 0.3067 Kuwaiti dinars)
($1 = 3.6728 UAE dirham)