On Sunday, in a joint statement, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz announced to soon begin welcoming foreign tourists of all ages, regardless of their vaccination status, according to Xinhua news agency. However, international travelers will still be required to carry a negative RT-PCR test report administered within 72 hours of their departure for Israel and a second PCR test upon arrival. The new policy will take effect on March 1. At present, only vaccinated tourists are allowed to enter the country.
The fresh Travel Policy
As per the fresh travel Policy,
- Israeli nationals will be required to show a PCR test upon arrival as a mandate instead of taking an antigen test before boarding the plane.
- The unvaccinated Israeli nationals will have no need to quarantine themselves if they have a negative result of a PCR test at the airport.
The Statement
In the statement, Bennett said, “We are seeing a constant decline in the morbidity data, so it is time to gradually open up that which we were the first in the world to close." He added, “In order to maintain the public's trust and ensure that the citizens of Israel follow the guidelines and the decisions that the government makes, it is necessary to open up when the situation improves, and it has improved significantly.”