France puts Bahrain on COVID-19 green list, effective immediately

France has now added Bahrain to its list of green countries, starting August 1, Bahrain state news reported on Saturday.

Vaccinated Bahrain residents wishing to travel to France will need to provide proof of vaccination status, a declaration attesting that they are experiencing no COVID-19 symptoms and that they have not been in contact with a confirmed case, according to the information outlined on France’s interior ministry’s website.

For unvaccinated residents of Bahrain or those who have been vaccinated with a jab that is not officially recognized by the European Medicines Agency, a certificate of recovery, dated between 11 days and six months, as well as a negative PCR test on arrival that is dated less than 72 hours prior to departure, is required.

On Saturday, Bahrain recorded 106 new COVID-19 cases, a much lower figure compared to surrounding Gulf countries, and 91 new recoveries, leaving the country with 1,006 active cases in total.

The Gulf country’s death toll remains one of the region’s lowest.

In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Sunday, French Tourism Minister Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne said that he expects a rebound in foreign tourism this summer, forecasting around 50 million foreign tourists.

Last year, France recorded 35 million foreign tourists, a significant drop compared to 2019’s pre-COVID 90 million.