Just before the closure took effect - thousands of Israelis boarded flights to green countries • Most of them bought plane tickets in recent days and stayed abroad for a long time
About five thousand Israelis took off today (Thursday) for vacations abroad, most of them to the green countries that agree to accept Israelis - Greece and Bulgaria. Many of the Israelis have purchased plane tickets in recent days and will be abroad for a long time.
Reporter: Shimon Yaish // Photo: Yoni Rickner
During a visit to Ben Gurion Airport, you can see strict observance of distance, a heat test at the entrance to the terminal and most of the Israelis who arrive have undergone a corona test and received negative results.
In a conversation with passengers who leave Israel just before the closure, they say: "We understood that there is a closure, we leave here with an open ticket and we will return when the closure is over. We prefer to spend the holidays without too many restrictions, it was enough for us on Passover."
Flight ticket prices have risen in recent days due to high demand, and some vacation packages in Greece are priced at more than a thousand dollars a week.
During the closure period and in the two weeks before, tens of thousands of Israelis flew in for vacations abroad.
Serbia has joined the list of green countries that accept Israelis without the need for isolation or testing.
Israir will start operating flights to Belgrade as early as September 26 at prices starting at $ 369.