Israel’s Health Ministry stated on Wednesday that they support allowing non-Israeli citizens from “green states” into Israel without being tested for the coronavirus or being required to quarantine upon arrival. Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Prof. Itamar Grotto said at a discussion at the Knesset State Control Committee on Wednesday that the Health Ministry is on its way to approving a plan to open Israel’s skies. “We won’t demand tests and quarantine from those who arrive from ‘green states,’ Grotto said. The policy is set to go into effect on August 16, Grotto said. According to a report by Channel 12 News, the “green states” on Israel’s list are: Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Lichtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ireland, South Korea, Japan, and New Zealand. The fact that Israel is currently considered a “red state” and tourists may be reluctant to come was not mentioned. “The skies should be opened as quickly as possible,” said Tourism Minister Asaf Zamir. “The need to test passengers will be with us for years so there’s no question that a major investment in infrastructure and medical services at Ben-Gurion Airport is necessary, including establishing labs, tests, and regulatory procedures.” However, Shmuel Zakai, the executive director of Ben-Gurion Airport, did not seem to be that excited by the news, saying that the only way to ensure passengers aren’t carrying the coronavirus is to test them and according to the Health Ministry, not only do tests have a high error rate but they are a national resource that can’t be wasted on flights. “As long as that’s the approach, flights won’t be renewed and we’re already past the point of no return,” Zakai claimed. “Maybe it’s worthwhile to include swimming lessons in the core curriculum because that’s the only way Israeli citizens will be able to leave here.” Israel is formulating a plan to allow passengers into Israel from “red states” as well by establishing a coronavirus testing station at Ben-Gurion with rapid results, eliminating the need for passengers to quarantine. Israeli researchers are currently carrying out trials for coronavirus tests with rapid results in India. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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