Bahrain and Israel have signed an agreement to recognize each other's COVID-19 vaccinations in a bid to ease travel between the two countries.
"The governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the State of Israel today reached an agreement regarding mutual recognition of vaccination and green passports," the official Bahrain News Agency reported late Thursday.
Under the agreement, people who have been inoculated in one country with "vaccinations recognized in the other country will be exempt from quarantine and be able to enter places that require a 'green passport'," BNA said.
The Bahraini report said arrangements would be made at a later stage for individuals who have been inoculated with a vaccine other than those recognized by one of the two countries.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi tweeted that the deal would "increase tourism and boost our economies and help our common fight against the coronavirus.”
Over five million Israelis, or more than half of its nine million population, have received two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, according to Israeli health ministry figures.
More than half a million people in Bahrain, or nearly half the population, have received both doses of various vaccines, according to official figures.
