Prayers at mosques, collective worship and religious assemblies will remain suspended, the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs has said.

The suspension will be maintained until the rate of the coronavirus (COVID-19) will decrease to the levels set by the competent authorities, the council said.

The highest religious council in Bahrain has been conducting bimonthly reviews of its decisions related to the impact of the virus on religious matters.

The decision to extend the suspension was taken following consultations between the council and the medical taskforce, the minister of justice, Islamic affairs and endowments and the heads of the Sunni and Jaafari endowments, the council said in a statement.

Gatherings and direct contacts are keeping the spread of COVID-19 high and have therefore hindered the health situation from rising above the level that would allow the council to re-open mosques and places of worship and permit religious crowds, it added.

"Therefore, and based on its religious responsibility, on the Sharia enjoinments to protect lives and not to expose them to danger or to pandemics, and on the recommendations of the competent medical authorities, the council announces that prayers in mosques, collective worship and religious gatherings will remain suspended," the statement said.