After banning all foreign travel in response to the discovery of the Omicron variant, Israel will now add 10 new countries to the "red list" of places where Israeli citizens and residents cannot travel.
Officially, as of midnight on December 22, Israelis will no longer be able to travel to the United States, Canada, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland, and Turkey. There are currently 58 countries on Israel's "red list."
Israeli citizens returning from the "red list" countries must go through complete isolation, regardless of the state of vaccination or recovery from the virus. Complete isolation is considered 14 days. The quarantine period can be reduced to 7 days if two PCR tests are performed - one on arrival and the other on the 7th day of isolation - and both have negative results.
Israel has seen an increase in the number of cases, according to Reuters COVID-19 tracker. As of December 20, the country had an average of 753 cases a day. It has imposed travel restrictions to overcome the Omicron variant, which is supposed to be more contagious than the previous variants.
Israel has been noted as a successful example of the new coronavirus vaccination campaign. Although the population is heavily vaccinated, Israel requires a green permit for meetings with more than 50 people held indoors. A green permit means that a person has been vaccinated, recovered or tested negative for coronavirus.
We remind you that, from November 29, the entry of foreign nationals in Israel is prohibited, except in cases approved by the Committee of Exceptions, and it is necessary to obtain an entry permit. - Entry_Permit - which is granted by the Immigration Authority.