Pending Cabinet Approval, Israel to Reopen its Border to Vaccinated Tourists

     After 20 months of tourists and family members who could not enter Israel due to COVID, Knesset ministers have approved, starting Nov. 1, the entry of tourists who are 12 and older who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from COVID in the past 180 days: although a high-level coronavirus cabinet still must approve the decision.

     Children under the age of 12, who remain ineligible to be vaccinated, will not be allowed to enter Israel, unless, they have recovered from COVID within the last six months.

     While the COVID deathrate in Israel has been declining for weeks, today almost 9,000 out of 15,000 COVID patients in the country were schoolchildren

     Travelers who had COVID also can enter the country, as long as they can show proof that they tested positive at least 11 days prior to their planes landing in Tel Aviv, and no more than 180 days ago, when antibodies are thought to have waned.

     Travelers who had COVID more than 180 days ago, but who have received booster shots, also can enter the country.

     Although first-degree relatives of Israeli citizens and residents were able to apply for permits to travel to the country, and in May, some organized groups were allowed to enter, since March 2020, the majority of tourists have not been allowed to enter Israel.

     As COVID is still circulating and mutating worldwide, due to a lack of worldwide vaccination, certain restrictions still apply for those who want to travel to Israel.

     For instance, the only tourists who will be allowed into Israel are from countries that are not on the United Kingdoms’ “Red List,” which is used worldwide, and lists the regions with the highest infection rates.

     Other tourists who will not be admitted inside Israel are those traveling from countries with outbreaks of the new AY4.2 variant, which is spreading across Europe.

     Although ministers have not yet decided whether they will accept Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine, they said they will accept tourists who have received shots with the vaccines made by Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca, and Sinopharm: all vaccines that are approved by the World Health Organizations.

     Because of waning effectiveness of the vaccines, only tourists who have been vaccinated in the 180 days before they board their planes will be allowed to enter Israel.

     While tourists who have been vaccinated with the Pfizer shot must wait seven days from their second or third, booster shot, before entering Israel, travelers who received the shots made by Moderna, AstraZeneca, J & J, Sinovac, and Sinopharm, must wait 14 days before entering the country.