Israel To Lift Some Coronavirus Restrictions on Tourists, Schoolchildren

Israel said on Sunday, in a joint announcement by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, that from March 1 it would open its borders to all tourists, including the unvaccinated. Currently, only vaccinated tourists are allowed to enter the country. All tourists will need to pass two PCR tests – one before departure and one after landing. Israeli nationals will no longer have to take an antigen test before boarding the plane but will undergo a PCR test upon arrival. Unvaccinated Israelis whose airport PCR test is negative will not be required to quarantine. Anti-COVID measures in Israeli schools are also gradually being lifted. Weekly tests in middle schools will be canceled as of February 24, and in elementary schools as of March 10. “We are seeing a steady decline in the morbidity data; therefore, this is the time to gradually open what we were the first in the world to close,” Bennett said in the statement. “At the moment, the situation in Israel is good,” he added, attributing this to “correct and dynamic management.”