Opened in the Dry Law: The Ministry of Health has decided that returnees from most countries of the world will be required to enter one-week isolation from this coming Monday, August 16th.
But there is already a list of dozens of countries from which all returnees - including the vaccinated - are committed to isolation.
However, during a visit to Ben Gurion Airport yesterday, we discovered a worrying phenomenon: Although returnees are required to go into full isolation for seven days in Israel, nothing prevents them from traveling by train or bus back home, even if some of the returnees carry the corona virus.
Those returning from vacation are crowded with dozens and sometimes even with hundreds of passengers in train cars, buses and stations.
Even if we assume that most of them would have left Ben Gurion Airport in a private vehicle - there would have been a huge traffic jam, and in general - there is no preparation for the treatment of returning passengers who require isolation.
The Ministry of Health is threatening fines of NIS 5,000 for a passenger caught on public transportation back from Ben Gurion Airport, but does not offer solutions other than "taxi travel."
At the same time, about 3,000 Israelis have left for Sinai since the beginning of the week, although Egypt is defined as a country at serious risk, and returning from there requires isolation.
Also in this case, the returnees use public transportation from Eilat on the way to their homes.
Passengers who came to Israel from countries that require isolation testified that no one checks whether those returnees are in isolation in areas separated from their families.
When we asked, everyone answered that they would go into isolation alongside family members who were not with them abroad, mainly due to the fact that they do not have separate units in their homes.
The Ministry of Health responded: "Passengers required to be fully insulated are not allowed to use public transportation, except in taxis, where the insulator sits in the back with open windows. Passengers who violate the isolation guidelines or use public transportation will be fined NIS 5,000."
The Ministry of Transportation gave a similar response, adding that the ban does not apply to vaccinated and recovering people who must be in isolation for 24 hours or until a negative result is obtained.