(TAN): Israel will allow all tourists to enter the country, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, from March 1, the country’s official tourist office said in a statement.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, “We are seeing a steady decline in the mortality rates across the world therefore, we see it is time to gradually open tourism.”
Under the new guidelines, tourists of all ages, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, will be allowed to enter Israel provided they present a negative RT-PCR test before arriving, and take an RT-PCR test upon landing in Israel. So far, only those vaccinated against Covid-19 are allowed to enter Israel after the country closed its borders to foreigners for the first time in March 2020.
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With regard to the situation in the country, Bennett emphasizes, “At the moment, the situation in Israel is good, which is the direct result of correct and dynamic management. Though Israel is opening to tourism, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and, in the event of a new variant, we will act quickly again.”
Sammy Yahia, Israel’s director of tourism to India and Philippines, said, “We are confident that visitor numbers will gradually recover to pre-pandemic numbers as consumer confidence grows in line with the gradual easing of restrictions. Our first, and most important priority is the safety and wellbeing of all those who wish to travel to Israel.”
