Following pressure from tens of thousands of Israelis staying overseas, the Ministry of Transport has announced that it has added more routes, on which airlines can operate flights to and from Israel. These destinations include Athens, Rome, Moscow and Addis Ababa. In the first stage the flights will be one-off while regular flights will continue between Tel Aviv and New York, Frankfurt, London, Paris, Kiev, Toronto and Hong Kong.
However, despite the additional destinations, the daily quota of Israelis allowed into the country will remain 3,000. This week well under this number has been allowed into Ben Gurion airport daily as the country sets up mechanisms to monitor that all incoming passengers who have not been vaccinated go into isolation now that the state-run hotels have been shut down. Some are angry and argue that if the 3,000 daily quota is not raised then many Israelis will not have the opportunity to return to the country before the Knesset elections on March 23. A three-judge panel of the High Court of Justice, led by Justice Esther Hayut, will discuss a petition against the quota tomorrow.
At the same time enforcement by Israel Police of compulsory isolation for people returning to Israel will be intensified. The electronic bracelet plan has been suspended because legislation is needed and a tender must be issued before choosing a company to operate the system. Estimates are that 70% of people flying into Israel are either vaccinated or have recovered from Covid.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 10, 2021
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