Coronavirus: Israel soon to welcome tourists even as it battles one of world’s highest infection rates
- Tourists will have to be vaccinated, present a negative PCR test before their flight and undergo both PCR and serological testing upon arrival
- Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett says the coronavirus booster vaccination drive will help allow the country to avoid a full lockdown
Israel says it will soon reopen its gates to foreign tour groups – even as it battles one of the world’s highest rates of coronavirus infections.
The country’s tourism ministry on Sunday said it will begin allowing organised tour groups into the country from September 19.
Tourists will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, present a negative PCR test before their flight and undergo both PCR and serological testing upon arrival. Visitors would have to quarantine in their hotels until the test results come back – a process expected to take no more than 24 hours.
Tourists from a handful of “red” countries with high infection rates – including Turkey and Brazil – will not be permitted to visit for the time being.
Israel launched a similar programme in May after vaccinating most of its population early this year. But the programme was suspended in August as the delta variant began to spread.
