israel travel ban

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israel travel ban

ISRAEL TRAVEL ALERTS & SAFETY INFORMATION

During these challenging times, we in Israel stand together with you, the American people, offering our prayers and support, united in the hope for a brighter, better tomorrow.

ISRAEL TRAVEL ALERTS & SAFETY INFORMATION

In order to remain fully informed, below is the updated information about the ongoing situation in Israel with regard to the CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19).

LATEST INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS TO ISRAEL ON THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19):

Tourists looking to travel to israel:.

At the moment, and until further notice, entry to Israel will be refused to non-citizens or non-residents of Israel arriving from anywhere in the world. In exceptional cases, one may apply for approval of the Foreign Ministry subject to proof of the ability to remain in self-isolation for 14 days.

Tourists who are currently in Israel:

  • Visitors who are currently in Israel will not be allowed to continue with their planned visit and are requested to stay in their hotel and plan their departure from Israel as soon as possible.
  • For now, hotels will continue operating according to the new regulations. This means, no more than 10 people in one area and maintaining a safe distance of 6.5 feet (two-meters) between each person.
  • If you’ve been required to enter self-isolation , you must report it to the Ministry of Health:   https://govforms.gov.il/
  • If you develop a fever of 100.4F (38C) or higher, a cough, trouble breathing, or other respiratory symptoms, you must immediately enter self-isolation and call the 101 MDA Emergency Services Hotline for medical advice.
  • It is absolutely forbidden to enter clinics or hospitals if you are showing any of the above symptoms!

General guidelines for all those staying in Israel:

  • For the latest information on coronavirus cases in Israel, please refer to the Department of Health's website .
  • The Israeli Government is monitoring the outbreak closely and has implemented temporary measures including border restrictions for travelers from around the world.
  • Commercial establishments and entertainment venues will be closed including:
  • Shopping malls (except for supermarkets, pharmacies, and places that provide TA food services)
  • Discos, bars, pubs, and dining establishments, including hotel dining (excluding TA food services)
  • Banquet halls
  • Gyms and swimming pools, water parks, zoo, safaris, petting zoos
  • Ritual baths (men), and bathhouses
  • Cinemas, theaters, and other cultural establishments
  • Amusement facilities and amusement parks
  • Businesses for non-medical treatment of the human body
  • Exhibition halls and fairgrounds
  • Public boats
  • Heritage sites
  • Prayer and religious ceremonies can be conducted in groups of up to 10 people, with 6.5 feet (2 meters) between people and no more than 2 groups at a time.
  • Prohibition of visits to welfare, nursing, or healthcare facilities serving as homes for their residents, with the exception of a maximum of one caregiver, preferably a permanent caregiver.
  • Regarding visits to hospitals and institutions:
  • Visits to hospitals and senior facilities should be avoided.
  • If a caregiver is needed, one caregiver must suffice.
  • People showing symptoms are not permitted to accompany patients or visit institutions for seniors.
  • Medical staff responsible for treating patients can only gather for work purposes in groups not to exceed 15 people.
  • Seniors and patients: It is recommended for those aged 60 and over and those with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, respiratory disease or immunosuppression, avoid crowds and contact with people who have returned from any destination abroad, those who show symptoms, or people who are suspected of being infected, while maintaining their routine.

Public transport: The Ministry of Health recommends avoiding public transport.

Frequently Asked Questions:

  • I am a tourist in Israel and I am concerned that I may have COVID-19, where should I go?

If you have a fever of 100.4F (38C) or higher, cough, trouble breathing, or other respiratory symptoms, you must immediately enter self-isolation and call the 101 MDA Emergency Services Hotline for medical advice. Do not go to an HMO clinic or emergency ward.

  • I already have a trip booked for April and May, should I cancel my reservations?

At the moment, entry to Israel will be refused to non-citizens or non-residents of Israel arriving from anywhere in the world. In exceptional cases, one may apply for approval of the Foreign Ministry subject to proof of the ability to remain in self-isolation for 14 days.

  • Are there any tourist sites, museums, institutes, and/or cultural spaces closed? Are restaurants and bars operating as normal?

Currently, commercial establishments and entertainment venues are closed. Please see the above list for details and exceptions.

  • Are any upcoming events or conferences canceled? If so, which ones?

No events of more than 10 people are permitted in Israel.

  • Will upcoming religious ceremonies still take place as regularly scheduled (Passover, Easter, etc.)?

Prayer and religious ceremonies can be conducted in groups of up to 10 people, keeping 6.5 feet (2 meters) from one person to another and no more than 2 groups at a time.

  • What are the restrictions regarding local travel throughout the country?

The Ministry of Health recommends avoiding public transport.

No gatherings of more than 10 people are permitted.

  • When will Israel be open to incoming visitors again? At this moment there is not a known date in which Israel will be open to incoming visitors.

israel travel ban

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israel travel ban

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israel travel ban

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Israel tightens travel restrictions over new COVID variant

The restrictions, pending government approval, will come into effect at midnight.

israel travel ban

Israel says it will ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first nation to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant .

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the ban, pending government approval, would last 14 days.

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Officials hope within that period there will be more information on how effective COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa and has been dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization.

“Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told N12’s Meet the Press. “And that the vaccine is effective, although we don’t yet know to what degree.”

The ban will come into effect at midnight on Sunday. A travel ban on foreigners coming from most African states was imposed on Friday.

Dr Ran Balicer, head of the government’s advisory panel on COVID-19, told Israel’s Kan public radio the new measures were necessary for the “fog of war” surrounding the new variant, saying it was “better to act early and strictly” to prevent its spread.

On Saturday, Israel said it detected the new strain in a traveller who had returned from Malawi and was investigating seven other suspected cases. The seven people included three vaccinated individuals who all were placed in isolation.

‘All this uncertainty’

“The entry of foreign nationals into Israel is banned except for cases approved by a special committee,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

Israeli citizens will be required to present a negative PCR test and quarantine themselves for three days if they have been vaccinated against the coronavirus and seven days if they have not. It was only four weeks ago that Israel reopened its borders to foreign tourists after a prolonged closure because of COVID.

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from West Jerusalem, called the new measures “extremely stringent” and said they marked a major reversal of a policy that allowed in foreign tourists at the beginning of November.

“They are the result of a late night emergency meeting of the coronavirus cabinet, which took place on Saturday evening after a brief announcement from Naftali Bennett that Israel needed to act very quickly in the midst of all this uncertainty and not risk the progress already gained against the coronavirus.”

The new measures will also require all Israelis entering the country, including those who are vaccinated, to quarantine.

Fawcett said Israelis who are vaccinated will have to quarantine for a minimum of three days, while those who are unvaccinated will have to quarantine for seven days.

He added, “And if coming back from one of the newly red-listed African countries, they will have to go into a government quarantine hotel, until they test negative.”

Separately, Bennett said the Shin Bet counterterrorism agency’s phone-tracking technology will be used to locate carriers of the new variant to curb its transmission to others.

Used on and off since March 2020, the surveillance technology matched virus carriers’ locations against other mobile phones nearby to determine with whom they had come into contact.

Israel’s Supreme Court this year limited the scope of its use after civil rights groups mounted challenges over privacy concerns.

The variant – which has also been detected in Belgium, the Netherlands, Botswana, Hong Kong, Italy, Germany, and the United Kingdom – has sparked global concern and a wave of travel curbs, although epidemiologists say such restrictions may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally.

About 57 percent of Israel’s 9.4 million population is fully vaccinated, according to the health ministry, which means they have either received a third shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or it has not yet been five months since they received their second dose.

Israel has recorded 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 8,000 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Scientists in South Africa said on Thursday they detected the new B.1.1.529 variant with at least 10 mutations, compared with two for Delta or three for Beta.

The strain was of “serious concern” and was blamed for a surge in infections, authorities in South Africa said.

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COMMENTS

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  2. ISRAEL TRAVEL ALERTS & SAFETY INFORMATION

    LATEST INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS TO ISRAEL ON THE CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19): Tourists looking to. travel to Israel: At the moment, and until further notice, entry to Israel will be refused to non-citizens or non-residents of Israel arriving from anywhere in the world.

  3. Israel to ban entry of foreigners from all countries over Omicron

    Israel on Saturday said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more...

  4. Israel tightens travel restrictions over new COVID variant

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