Record 2.5m passengers on King Fahd Causeway in July
In March, COVID-19 restrictions on the facility’s travellers were eased
Cairo: Around 2.5 million passengers used the King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in July, against 2 million the previous month, the operator’s figures have shown.
The record figure included 1.2 million passengers departing Saudi Arabia via the bridge and 1.3 million arrivals, according to the King Fahd Causeway Authority.
Foreign residents in Saudi Arabia, who want to head to Bahrain via the bridge, are required to obtain an electronic exit/re-entry visa, a valid residency permit and passport.
Entry into Bahrain, meanwhile, requires obtaining a visa via the causeway for professionals and an e-visa for others.
The King Fahd Causeway was inaugurated in 1986 and has since been vital for movement between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, two members of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council.
Last March, several COVID-19 restrictions for arrivals in Saudi Arabia using the facility were lifted.
The scrapped curbs included the mandatory vaccination certificate, PCR tests before and upon arrival as well as quarantine for travellers.
Relaxation of the curbs on the 25km-long bridge was due to a marked decline in coronavirus cases in Saudi Arabia.