COVID: Only people jabbed in Israel are to be exempt from quarantine

People vaccinated abroad are not going to be exempt from quarantine under the new regulations that come into effect on Friday, the Health Ministry’s spokesperson has clarified to The Jerusalem Post. They will be able to skip isolation if they have received a third shot in Israel. However, some confusion remains.

The clarification came two days after the ministry announced that, beginning Friday, individuals considered fully vaccinated under new criteria will not be required to fully isolate when they enter the country – unless they come from red nations (currently Bulgaria, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey).

According to the criteria, Israelis who received their third shot at least a week prior, have had their second shot or recovered within the last six months, or have received one dose of the vaccine after recovering, are considered protected and therefore will just need to isolate until they get the results of the PCR test taken upon arrival, or a maximum of 24 hours.

The ministry’s new rules left open for speculation the status of people vaccinated abroad – foreign nationals or Israelis alike.

Israel does not recognize vaccination or recovery certificates from other countries, and its borders are largely closed to foreigners, who can enter only under very specific circumstances and if they receive special permission. Among those who can receive such permission are inoculated first-degree relatives of citizens or permanent residents.

Both Israelis and foreigners vaccinated abroad who arrive in Israel have the option of undergoing a serological test at a facility recognized by the Health Ministry to prove the presence of coronavirus antibodies in their blood.

Once the results are transmitted to the Health Ministry, the travelers are given an Israeli recovery certificate with the date of their test and a Green Pass.

The official announcement of the Health Ministry does not specify that the new rules apply only to people vaccinated in Israel, nor does it make a distinction between different types of recovery certificates.

When contacted by the Post, the ministry’s hotline, which is available to all citizens and foreigners to answer questions about the coronavirus policies (including about quarantine for people who have been abroad), said that recovery certificates given after a serological test are equivalent to all other recovery certificates and will grant exemption from isolation in the same way, starting on Friday.

However, the ministry’s spokesperson said the opposite: Those vaccinated abroad will still be required to isolate for 14 days – which can be shortened to seven with two negative PCR tests – unless they also receive a shot in Israel.

The spokesperson added that the Green Pass granted to people who undergo a serological test will still be valid until December 31 until further notice.

Starting October 1, the Green Pass will be granted to people vaccinated in Israel only if they received the third shot, have had their second shot or recovered within the last six months, or have received one dose of the vaccine after recovering.

Asked by the Post about the new policies, a health official expressed hope that in the future those vaccinated abroad will be placed on the same footing as those who received their shots in Israel, but without providing any timeline.

In addition, the official said the work to recognize foreign vaccination certificates issued by several countries is in an advanced stage, but that it will be up to policy-makers to decide whether this is going to be the direction to pursue.

No specific discussions regarding the recognition of booster shots have been held yet.