Last Updated on December 14, 2021

Israel latest Covid-19 outbreak and restrictions.

Image Credit: Unsplash

June 29th

• As of today, June 29, everyone over 16 leaving Israel will be required to complete a declaration before departure wherein they  undertake will not to travel to any of the countries to which entry is prohibited under the regulations governing travel from Israel, or else a declaration that he or she is allowed to travel to one of these countries under the exemptions in the regulations.  The countries to which travel is prohibited are Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, and Russia. People who travel to these countries with an exemption permit will have to enter quarantine on their return to Israel, even if they are vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. Travel to a prohibited country contrary to the regulations will be an offense, and will incur a fine of NIS 5,000.
• The MOH expects an increase  in the number of seriously ill and peaking within the next 10 days.
• 25% of youth between the ages of 10 – 19 years have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine

June 28th

• Following a meeting of the corona cabinet on Sunday, it has been decided that aside from mask wearing indoors and in crowded placed, no additional restrictions are to be implemented at this stage.
• What will the measure for further restrictions will be based on; number of daily diagnosed cases or the number of seriously ill? A final decision needs to be taken but basing it on the number of seriously ill is the most logical according to the experts.
• The strategy is to encourage all those who are not, to get vaccinated. Over 5,000 new vaccinations administered yesterday, most of them youth over the age of 12.
• A clear strategy must be implemented for the new academic year and preparations made for dealing with different scenarios
• There was a dip in the number of newly diagnosed on Sunday – 114 new cases
• 44 people are hospitalized with the coronavirus and 23 are in serious condition
• After one year as the acting Director of the Ministry of Health – Prof. Hezi Levi, resigned yesterday

June 27th

The corona cabinet is set to meet today to discuss the possible implementation of further restrictions.  In the meantime mask wearing is now mandatory in closed spaces and in crowded spaces with the following exceptions:

• Children under the age of 7
• Those with physical disabilities that prevent them from donning a mask
• A person who is working alone in a public space
• 2 people who work with one another on a permanent basis
• Person engaged in sporting activities

Other planned measures:

• Testing will also be increased
• The planned number of daily vaccinations is set to increase
• Clamping down and stricter monitoring at Ben Gurion International Airport

With only a few days left until the end of the school year, no major changes are to take place.  Masks are mandatory and efforts will be concentrated on the areas in which there are currently outbreaks.

Israel stats:

• Cases diagnosed Saturday: 229
• Total active cases: 1,157
• Seriously ill: 26
• Intubated: 16

June 24th

• Following the current outbreak, 30,000 Israelis are supposed to be in isolation.  Random checks are being put in place and police will check on  those in isolation to ensure compliance . The idea is to implement home visits and phone calls every few days.
• If the average number of newly diagnosed daily cases exceeds 100 by the end of this week, mask wearing is closed spaces will again become mandatory.
• Mask wearing at Ben Gurion Airport, on flights, in hospitals and medical clinics as well as in geriatric institutions, is compulsory.
• 900 cases of the covid-19 coronavirus were diagnosed in Israel last month.  Approximately half of them are vaccinated.
• The Ministry of Health is considering putting the purple ribbon code and green pass regulations back in place.
• It has been decided that the opening of Israel to incoming tourists from other countries, will be delayed by one month and it will commence on 1 August instead of 1 July as previously planned.

June 23rd

The latest outbreak of the Indian Coronavirus variant – the Delta virus – in Israel has prompted a number of new measures and recommendations.  Here are the latest updates:

Ben Gurion International Airport

• Mask wearing is now mandatory at Ben Gurion airport as well as on all flights. (It is also now recommended to wear a mask in all closed spaces)
• The number of testing stations at Ben Gurion Airport is to be increased

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett:

• “I call on all children over the age of 12 be vaccinated”
•  “If the current outbreak continues to expand, further measures will have to be taken”.
• “The corona cabinet is to be reinstated”

The special Coronavirus unemployment benefit – CHALAT – will terminate at the end of June, 2021.

• Those under the age of 45 will no longer receive the CHALAT unemployment benefit
• Those in the 67+ age group and self-employed will also no longer be entitled to the CHALAT benefit.
• Those in the 45+ age group and women who have given birth will continue to receive the benefit
• Those in the tourism industry who have returned to work are entitled to the supplementary income benefit from Bituach Leumi

June 21st

Following an outbreak of the coronavirus at two schools in Israel; in Binyamina and in Modiin (all the Indian variant), a special meeting was held and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has decided that new measures must be taken to control and curb the latest Coronavirus outbreak in Israel and these recommendations have been made:

• The Ministry of Health recommends that youth between the ages of 12 – 15 be vaccinated especially if hey have underlying health issues that could put them at risk.  It has been noted that 12% of vaccinated youth manifest side-effects after receiving the jab.
• Reinstating mask-wearing at summer-camps (keitanot) is also being considered.
• Recruit 250 police to monitor and ensure that Israelis, returning from abroad, adhere to isolation regulations
• Increase the number of testing stations at Ben Gurion International Airport as it was reported that hundreds of incoming travelers were not being tested because of an overload.

June 15th

As of today it is no longer compulsory to wear a face mask in Israel and in closed spaces (with some exceptions)

There is no need for masks at schools, on public transport, Ben Gurion International Airport, malls and shops.  However, it remains compulsory to wear masks on board flights, at hospitals (outpatient clinics and similar) and at retirement and geriatric homes.

DON’T dispose of your masks just yet, keep one in your bag or easily accessible – you never know if you may be asked to don one.

May 24th

In a statement issued Sunday night, May 23rd, Minister of Health, Yuli Edelstein announced that almost all pandemic restrictions will be lifted on June 1st, 2021.

It is already no longer necessary to wear face-masks outdoors and another step towards lifting the pandemic restrictions will come into effect on June 1st and includes lifting the “green pass” vaccination certificate requirement,  This means that Israelis, will be able to enter all public amenities regardless of vaccination status. 

Capping the numbers on indoor and outdoor gatherings will also be cancelled.

For the time-being, the wearing of a face mask will still remain compulsory in enclosed places. The lifting of masks in closed spaces may possibly be revoked in two weeks time.

The lifting of these restrictions is a direct result of Israel’s successful vaccination campaign which has seen most adults vaccinated.  Only 12 new virus cases were reported on Sunday and as of today, Israel only has 500 active coronavirus patients.

Edelstein commented: “The Health Ministry will continue to monitor the situation to prevent an outbreak. Of course, if there is an outbreak, we’ll have to revert [to previous restrictions]. I call on Israel’s citizens not to leave for countries with high morbidity and follow the Health Ministry’s travel advisories. Even while in countries we can fly to, it’s important to maintain social distancing. Upon returning to Israel, there is a duty to pay extra attention to the guidelines. The low morbidity of the disease depends on us.”