The Israeli authorities are going to discuss whether to open the borders to vaccinated tourists starting from August 1 as currently planned in the coming days, Coronavirus Commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash said in a press conference on Wednesday.
“As it is known, we postponed the entrance of vaccinated tourists from July 1 to August 1,” Ash said. “In the coming days we will examine the topic again and we will see if we can open to vaccinated tourists on August 1.”
“I would like to emphasize that tourists can already enter as part of groups according to the outline we approved with the Tourism Ministry,” he added.
Israeli borders have been closed to foreign nationals for over a year, with only limited exceptions.
Vaccinated visitors from countries considered at low risk were supposed to be allowed in on July 1, under criteria decided by the Health Ministry, as it was announced by outgoing Tourist Ministry Orit Farkash-Hacohen on June 12 and again by Interior Minister Ayeled Shaked on June 20, after the new government was sworn in.
However, the Health Ministry never announced the exact details of the outline – including which countries would be included, whether tourists would be able to skip the serological test which at the moment is required from anyone who was inoculated abroad in order to be released from isolation and which vaccines would be recognized.
On June 23, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced that the entrance of tourists would be postponed, following the increase in coronavirus cases – the country currently has some 3,400 active cases up from less than 200 at the beginning of June.
According to what Ash said, it appears that there are uncertainties also regarding the date of August 1.