Israel to Open Borders to Tourists Regardless of Vaccination Status
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Updated
Feb 22, 2022
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Israel will begin allowing foreigners into the country starting next month.
According to CBN News, on March 1, tourists will be allowed to enter Israel as long as they submit to a COVID-19 test before boarding their plane to the country and then another test when they land at Ben Gurion airport.
Meanwhile, Israeli citizens who return from traveling abroad will only need to take a PCR test when they arrive back in Israel.
Unvaccinated Israelis will no longer need mandatory quarantine when they arrive as long as they can test negative upon landing in Israel.
“At the moment, the situation in Israel is good,” said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. “This is the result of correct and dynamic management; therefore, we are now opening up. At the same time, we will continue to closely monitor the situation, and in the event of a new variant, we will again act quickly.”
Israel has also decided to stop mandatory weekly COVID tests at elementary and middle schools.
“We are seeing a consistent decline in morbidity numbers, so this is the time to gradually open up what we were the first in the world to close,” Bennett said in a statement.
The changes come after Israel’s Health Ministry recommended last week that the country lift some of its restrictions because of the decline in cases.
Israel also cut its Green Pass restrictions, which require Israelis to present proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative COVID-19 test before entering indoor places, such as restaurants, gyms, and movie theaters.
The country is still mandating that masks be worn indoors, but a senior Health official told a public broadcaster that the government may lift that requirement soon.
Israel first closed its borders in March 2020 and has slowly allowed in visitors as the country has lifted restrictions. In January, about 46,000 tourists entered Israel compared to the 333,000 that visited in January 2020.
Related:
Israel Prepares to Welcome Jews Leaving Ukraine amid Russian Threat
Israel to Face a 'Storm of Contagion' of COVID-19, Prime Minister Warns
Photo courtesy: Pixabay
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
