By Mohammed Al-Shahrani

Okaz/Saudi Gazette

AL-KHOBAR — The first batch of 196 Saudis who were stranded in Bahrain arrived in the Kingdom on Tuesday. They crossed King Fahd Causeway, which connects the Kingdom and Bahrain, on board a convoy of 12 buses, according to sources at the Saudi Embassy in Bahrain.

Saudi Ambassador to Bahrain Prince Sultan Bin Ahmed said that the embassy, in cooperation and coordination with the concerned authorities of the two countries, started operating scheduled bus services for a period of four days, effective from Tuesday, to transport Saudi citizens stranded in Bahrain to the Eastern Province via King Fahd Causeway.

“This is in implementation of the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman to facilitate the procedures for the return of stranded citizens,” the ambassador said in a statement in his Twitter account.

Speaking to Okaz/Saudi Gazette, the sources at the embassy said that the embassy was following up the cases of Saudis present in Bahrain, as four hotels were made available to accommodate them and they provided all services of food and other essentials with daily follow-up from the ambassador of Bahrain Sultan Bin Ahmed.

The source said that four hotels were readied in the Eastern Province to receive the citizens and accommodate them. The Saudi embassy in Bahrain coordinated with the relevant authorities, especially with the Ministry of Health, to receive stranded citizens and put them in medical isolation arranged in the hotels.

King Salman on Sunday issued directives to allow Saudi citizens to return to the Kingdom following the suspension of flights around the world amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an electronic platform to enable all citizens abroad wanting to return to the Kingdom to register their information and set travel times. The ministry said registration of requests to return citizens from abroad begins on Sunday and will continue for 5 days.