Tens of thousands of Israelis are stuck abroad due to flight cancellations and border closures caused by the coronavirus outbreak. To help them and answer their questions, the association ISRAEL-is has opened a hotline.
In the past few weeks, many countries around the world have announced restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in their country, from imposing a 14-day quarantine for those returning from abroad, to closing borders to non-residents. Following those restrictions, airlines have started to cancel flights and ticket prices are soaring, leaving many who have been traveling in the past few weeks stuck in another country. As such, many Israelis find themselves with few options to return to Israel.
The support hotline created by ISRAEL-is has been established for Israelis who find themselves stuck abroad and works in cooperation with representatives from the Foreign Ministry and in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines. It operates between 12 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Volunteers working for the hotline are responsible for answering all questions, including those regarding hygienic measures, whether or not to eat in restaurants, insurance reimbursements, finding flights back to Israel, getting into quarantine once they are back and more.
ISRAEL-is founder Eyal Biram said that, "at this moment, tens of thousands of Israeli travelers are still on the big trip abroad, most of them in South America and East Asia.""From the moment the hotline opened, we have received hundreds of inquiries from travelers... currently, with the help of the volunteer staff of the association, we assist in guiding and assisting a safe return to Israel and finding safe places, all in collaboration with the Foreign Ministry," he added.