Hundreds of Israelis packed into 250 cars have been told to turn back and not enter the city of Eilat since the city began welcoming back visitors last Tuesday under special coronavirus regulations with the launch of the "tourist islands” program.
The tourist islands law allows the hotels and resorts of Eilat and certain parts of the Dead Sea to open, as long as they follow strict coronavirus regulations, and verify that tourists present a negative test for COVID-19 carried out no longer than 72 hours prior to entry into the city/resort.
In addition, on Sunday morning, three people were caught trying to enter Eilat using fake test results which they had forged themselves.
According to a statement by the Eilat Municipality, one of the three was tested for the coronavirus using a quick-result Sofia test (which is not considered very accurate compared to other tests being used today) in the nearby Kibbutz Yotvata. After taking the test, the car's three remaining passengers copied the test results, changing only the names."
The city added that they plan on pressing charges against the men. "We will act with zero tolerance towards anyone who acts irresponsibly and thus harms all our efforts to preserve the city of Eilat, its economy and the health of its residents," said Mayor Meir Yitzhak Halevi.
N12 reported on Sunday evening that starting on Monday, Sofia Israel will begin operating a free coronavirus quick-test station at Ramon Airport, to take pressure off of testing sites in the area.
"The goal is to give an answer on the spot within 15 minutes for Israelis who want to fly or travel to Eilat from today to today, or from today to tomorrow, without waiting 5 days for the results of a laboratory test," the company said.