King Fahd Causeway reopens today to re-establish social and economic ties and activities between the two Kingdoms

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The prospect of tourism influx is highly expected as the King Fahd Causeway linking the Kingdom of Bahrain with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reopened at 1 am today.

And more importantly, it offers a billion-dollar financial boost to the economy of both countries. Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have had longstanding tourism and trade ties, with trade between the two countries growing 43 per cent during the third quarter of 2020.

This new development will strengthen these ties even further. Following this development, the number of visitors from Saudi Arabia is set to gradually go back to normal levels while strictly following precautionary and preventative measures to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Prior to the pandemic, Bahrain welcomed about 11 million tourists with more than 88 per cent coming through the causeway. Although trade between Bahrain and Saudi Arabia has continued throughout the pandemic, tourism has been severely affected.

But now that the causeway is opening, it will add up to $2.9 billion to Bahrain’s economy this year, based on average tourism spending in 2019, according to the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Safety amid pandemic

The King Fahd Causeway Authority (KFCA) chief executive officer, Emad Al Muhaisan, said that the associated authorities in both countries will apply the necessary rules and regulations to ensure the utmost safety, especially amid the pandemic.

Permission to travel from Saudi Arabia will be restricted to vaccinated people or those who have recently recovered from the virus based on information provided on the person’s Tawakalna app, the Kingdom’s official COVID-19 contact tracing app, or a coronavirus insurance certificate for persons under the age of 18, Al Muhaisan was quoted as saying in an official statement released by the KFCA.

However, passengers wanting to travel from Bahrain to Saudi Arabia will be required to use any GCC-approved health applications that confirm the person’s status with regards to COVID-19, outlining whether they have been vaccinated or have recovered from the virus.

Passengers will also need to provide PCR certificates suggesting that they have tested negative for COVID-19, ensuring that the test result does not exceed 72 hours from the time of taking the sample.