COVID: Some tourist groups will be allowed to enter Israel without boosters

Some foreign tourists traveling in groups will be allowed to enter Israel without boosters, the Health and Tourism ministries announced Monday.

Since November 1, foreign nationals have been able to travel into the country but only if they meet the stringent criteria to be considered protected from the virus in Israel: Vaccinated twice within the previous six months, vaccinated with a booster, recovered with one shot or recovered within six months. Recovery certificates are also only accepted in an official electronic form.

However, under a new outline approved by the coronavirus cabinet in a telephone vote late Sunday night, beginning Tuesday members of groups will be admitted also if they were only jabbed twice and earlier than six months prior to their visit – as long as the vaccine used was among those accepted by the World Health Organization.

In order to qualify for the provision, groups need to receive the approval of the Tourism Ministry and come from a country labeled as green or yellow according to the system developed by the Health Ministry.

As of Monday, no country was green, while yellow countries included the US, France, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Cyprus, Canada and Australia. The United Kingdom and Greece were orange.

In addition, the group is required to travel around the country as a capsule, and for the first seven days the tourists who are not considered protected will need to undergo a PCR test every 72 hours or an antigen test every 24 hours.

Such groups can include between five and 40 people. The group leader will report to the authorities the results of the tests and keep a record of the itinerary and contacts of its members in case the need for an epidemiological investigation emerges.

“In accordance with our ongoing policy, also with tourism we will continue to live alongside corona,” Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said. “We take all the precautions and supervision to maintain public health and quickly identify new variants. In addition, we are maintaining the Israeli economy, education, culture, tourism and daily routine in Israel.”

“We still have a long way to go to bring back tourism, therefore we must act swiftly but surely, in order to increase the numbers of incoming tourists,” Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov noted. “The Israeli economy needs tourism as do, of course, the employees in the tourism industry.”

The outline was also expected to be approved by the Knesset Law and Constitution Committee on Monday in order for it to kick off on Tuesday.