A plan for opening Israel to foreign tourists has been formulated and will be raised for approval by the government. It was put together by the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Ministry of Health.
Since March 2020, tourists have not been allowed into Israel because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but change is now near - the plan will come into effect on November 1, 2021. The announcement by the three ministries states that it will be "updated in accordance with developments and the discovery of new variants."
Who will be allowed into Israel? The definition will be in accordance with the type of vaccinations that would-be tourists have received.
- Foreign citizens who have received two doses of the Pfizer vaccination, and seven days or more have passed since their second dose on the date they seek to enter Israel (but not more than 180 days will have passed by the date they leave Israel).
- Foreigners who have received two doses of vaccines produced by Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac and Sinopharm, and fourteen days or more have passed since the second dose on the date they seek to enter Israel (but not more than 180 days will have passed by the date they leave Israel).
- Foreigners who have received one dose of the Janssen vaccine, and fourteen days or more have passed since the date they were vaccinated and the date they seek to enter Israel (but not more than 180 days will have passed by the date they leave Israel).
- Foreigners who have received a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine (i.e., a third dose), and seven days or more have passed since then on the date they seek to enter Israel.
- Foreigners who have received a booster shot of the Moderna, Sinovac, AstraZeneca, or Janssen vaccine, and fourteen days of more have passed since then on the date they seek to enter Israel.
The plan makes no mention of unvaccinated children accompanied by vaccinated parents, to whom most countries allow entry.
The plan also covers people who have recovered from Covid-19. It will allow entry to those who have recovered from the disease who present confirmation of a positive result of a NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) such as PCR, and eleven or more days have passed between the test date and the date they seek to enter Israel (but not more than 180 days will have passed by the date they leave). In addition, people who have recovered and received at least one dose of the vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) will be allowed entry.
Important news for groups is that they will not have to undergo serological tests. Instead, daily antigen tests will be required. Organized groups that will receive exemption from quarantine on the grounds that they will act as a capsule, consisting of tourists vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the WHO, will be limited to 2,000 incoming tourists a day, and must not include tourists who have visited a "red" country or a country the subject of a severe travel warning in the fourteen days before the date they seek to enter Israel. The group will be run as a capsule, with no free time and with restrictions on movement in places where there is a high risk of infection.
A controversial requirement is that tourists will have to undergo daily antigen tests, or a PCR test once every 72 hours, for fourteen days from the date they enter Israel.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 21, 2021.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2021.