Israel removes travel restrictions

Ben Gurion Airport  credit: Michal Raz-Chaimovitz
Ben Gurion Airport credit: Michal Raz-Chaimovitz

Israelis will now be able to travel anywhere, while foreigners who meet Green Pass conditions will be allowed to enter Israel.

Israel has cancelled its list of "red" countries, Ministry of Health director general Nachman Ash has announced. From midnight tonight, there will be no list of countries to which Israelis are forbidden to travel. The list, which included the US, the UAE, the UK, Switzerland, and Turkey among other countries, will no longer be in force. Travelers returning to Israel will undergo three tests for Covid-19: before taking off, after landing, and a further test at the end of the isolation period.

"The Ministry of Health's recommendation was accepted in accordance with the policy defined in advance by the prime minister, whereby the red countries mechanism would be suspended in a situation in which the number of verified cases among people entering Israel from overseas represented less than 5% of total morbidity in Israel," the Ministry of Health said in its statement today. The ministry continues to recommend not travelling to countries with high rates of infection.

People who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered from Covid-19 can leave isolation after receiving a negative result from the test carried out at Ben Gurion Airport, or after 24 hours, whichever is the earlier. People who are not in those categories may leave isolation only after receiving two negative test results, one from the test carried out on landing, and the other a week later. The type of test for leaving isolation will depend on the individual: those at risk will have a PCR test; the rest will do antigen test.

With the cancellation of the red list, from January 9, foreigners from any country will be allowed to enter Israel, as long as they meet the Green Pass conditions concerning vaccination and recovery from Covid -19. The isolation conditions for foreigners will be the same as for Israeli citizens, i.e, isolation until a negative result is obtained from the test carried out on landing at the airport.

Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 6, 2022.

© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2022.

Ben Gurion Airport  credit: Michal Raz-Chaimovitz
Ben Gurion Airport credit: Michal Raz-Chaimovitz
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