From Sunday, those who return from a green country will not be charged with isolation • The problem: There is still no outline for Israelis seeking to go to those countries • Ministry of Health: "Negotiations in progress"
El Al planes at Ben Gurion Airport last month
Photo:
Archive: Yossi Zeliger
At a discussion in the Corona committee that took place yesterday (Monday), its members expected to hear which countries will receive the Israeli tourist and from which countries we will be able to return without the need for isolation starting on August 16. But the foreign and health ministry teams, who compiled the list of green countries and were supposed to present it, did not do so - and caused disappointment.
Archive // Photo: Knesset Spokeswoman
The chairman of the Corona Committee, Yifat Shasha-Bitton (Likud), expressed her disappointment during the meeting: The government's answers are disappointing, because the outline is not clear, does not include tourists, and the airport does not really open. "
Apparently, the outline will be presented in the coming days, and it should include lines that will not make the Israeli tourist too happy, especially not since this coming Sunday. The outline will present a list of green countries, and as first published in "Israel Today", the list will be long and will also include countries outside Europe. The interesting news is mainly for foreign passport holders who can use them to enter various countries around the world. Only Israeli passport holders can enter almost any green country, thus creating a situation where the outline will include, if at all, a very limited list of countries Israelis can enter after moving Corona tests, including Rwanda, Montenegro, Croatia and Bulgaria.
The labs - only in October
August 16 will be the beginning of a long process that should also include the establishment of a corona testing laboratory at Ben Gurion Airport, which may help advance the process of establishing corona laboratories, which is expected to be completed only in October. At the same time, Foreign Ministry staff Varieties throughout Europe in order to allow Israelis to enter them in the coming weeks.
The outline will allow Israelis to return from those green countries without the need for isolation, but it does not include tourists.
• A minority of green countries for holders of Israeli passports
• The sky opens: book a plane ticket? The complete guide
• First publication: Tender for the establishment of a Corona laboratory at Ben Gurion Airport
Some of the green countries that should be in the outline are Japan, Germany, Taiwan, New Zealand, Italy, Greece and other countries. Those who are likely to remain on the list of red countries from which all returnees will be charged in isolation will be the United States, Russia, Brazil and other countries with a high morbidity rate.
The list is not official
Dr. Asher Shalmon, director of the Department of International Relations at the Ministry of Health, said that “tests are not a substitute for isolation, and so in many countries, certainly at the entrance from red countries. We will not establish an epidemiological laboratory at Ben Gurion Airport. The goal is for Israelis to be able to enter and leave without the obligation of isolation. The rapid tests are very expensive and unreliable. Negotiations with the countries are still ongoing, and the existing list is not official. These are more than 10 countries, many of them European but not only, like Canada. If there are changes in the list - it will be updated once every two weeks, but all the rules are only for Israeli citizens. "
Joel Feldschau, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, noted that the outline for the opening of the airport is due to be submitted to the Corona Cabinet tomorrow.
Ilan Plus from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Economics Division said, "Israel is defined as a red state, so EU countries do not allow Israelis to enter them, but with severe restrictions such as special cases or short-term. There are very few countries in the world willing to admit Israelis. "This refusal will not change as long as the morbidity situation does not change. We started negotiations with the countries about a week ago."
According to Eitan Ben-David, Deputy Chief of Staff for National Security: "This is going to change slowly but carefully, because the morbidity in the country is still high, certainly in relation to one million people. The outline will allow Israelis to go to green countries and return without isolation. The country is also for tourists. "
The Israelis are attacking the flights
Although the opening of the sky does not seem particularly close, many Israelis are already entering the booking sites and looking for flights, which appear at prices that are tens of percent lower than last year. On the "Travelist" booking website, we examined for ourselves how eager Israelis are to go on vacation in the near future. According to the data, there is a 101% increase between last month and the current month in the average daily searches. The top destinations to which Israelis searched for flights were Istanbul, Antalya, Crete, Rhodes, Kiev, Paphos, Thessaloniki and Vienna.
Meital Lahat Datker, the company's director, commented on the increase in searches: "In recent days, we have seen a doubling of the number of searches for flights abroad compared to July. Israelis love to fly, and the announcement of the opening of the sky has created great excitement and increased interest. The number of orders is still low because Israelis want to be sure about the obligation of isolation back to Israel. At the moment, the prices are low, but the higher the demand, the higher the prices. "
The "Smartair" website also sees a significant increase in searches and interest from Israeli tourists. "The most noticeable increase is to countries defined as countries that are expected to accept Israelis, including Greece, Cyprus, Hungary and Bulgaria, but in first place is Turkey, which already accepts Israelis without any restrictions. Prices are very attractive at the moment, but it is advisable to wait with orders. Oz Gur, CEO of the company, explained.
How low are the prices? In "Secret Flights" we checked the prices of flights for the coming period compared to the average flight prices in that period last year. You can fly to Milan for $ 24 compared to $ 140 last year, to Paphos for $ 49 compared to $ 126 last year, to Berlin you will find flights for $ 70 when last year the prices were around $ 250, and the prices of flights to London also dropped to about $ 70 compared to 172 Last year. Along with the decline to these destinations, there has been an increase in flight prices to Crete - $ 220 this year compared to $ 149 last year, Rhodes by $ 199 this year compared to $ 150 last year and Kiev by $ 223 this year compared to $ 210 last year. Secret flights make it clear that prices are subject to change, and if the outline is implemented, prices will rise depending on the countries to be opened.
