Israel will lift its travel restrictions on all countries, the Health Ministry’s director-general announced Thursday, as local omicron infections render travel bans futile in preventing the spread of coronavirus.
Starting Thursday at midnight, Israel will scrap it’s “red list” of high-risk destination, fully opening its skies, Prof. Nachman Ash said. The decision is pending government approval.
Israel therefore will permit travel to and from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Turkey, France, Switzerland, Mexico, Hungary, Spain, Portugal, Tanzania and Nigeria, while travelers from these countries will also be allowed to visit.
These countries will be moved to Israel’s “orange list,” a collection of countries to which the Health Ministry recommends against unnecessary travel due to high coronavirus infection rates.
All vaccinated or recovered travelers from these countries must quarantine for 24 hours upon arrival in Israel, or until they receive a negative test result. Unvaccinated arrivals must receive two negative tests: one upon arrival, and one after seven days of quarantine. High-risk groups must receive a negative PCR result to exit quarantine, while the rest of the population need only take a rapid antigen test.
Insufficient preparation
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Last week, the country lifted its travel ban on most African countries and some destinations in Europe, but the ban on the ‘red’ destinations, defined as destinations with high coronavirus infection rates, remained in place.
An expert panel advising the government on the pandemic said last month that Israel was rapidly approaching a point at which travel ban restrictions will be rendered useless.
“When Israel becomes a ‘red’ country, with thousands of local infections with omicron, there is no reason to fear a person leaving another ‘red’ country – after all, here he would be exposed with the same likelihood,” the committee’s report said. It called on the government to prepare for revoking travel restrictions altogether.
On Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced changes to its testing requirements amid a spike in demand for PCR swab tests. Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced that beginning on Friday, vaccinated, healthy Israelis under the age of 60 who have come into contact with coronavirus carriers can take a rapid home test to be exempt from isolation, thereby avoiding long lines at testing sites. According to the new guidelines, the ministry will reserve PCR tests for people aged 60 and older, as well as for high-risk groups.
Also on Wednesday, Israel saw a record-breaking number of new coronavirus cases, reaching an all-time high of 16,115 – more than double the number of new cases recorded just a few days earlier on Sunday.
