Israel Opens Borders to All Tourists, No Vaccine Pass Needed

Israel Opens Borders to All Tourists, No Vaccine Pass Needed

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other government officials agreed to remove the Green Pass or vaccine certification system for all visitors regardless of their vaccination status.

Starting March 1, visitors to the country no longer have to present proof of vaccination at the border or show a vaccine certificate to enter public gatherings and venues such as hotels, restaurants, bars, and cafes.

“We are seeing a consistent decline in morbidity numbers so this is the time to gradually open up. At the same time, we will keep a finger on the pulse, and in case of a new variant we will react quickly,” Bennett said.

Tourists will still be required to provide a negative PCR test both before departure and upon arrival under the new guidelines.

Though the specifics are still being worked out, it has been established that Israeli citizens will be exempt from the pre-departure testing.

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Israel was a pioneer in national vaccine rollout and one of the first countries to require a vaccination certificate to cross its borders and enter an array of facilities.

But with the COVID numbers and serious infections showing a downward trend, it is a “good time” to lift the Green Pass requirement and reopen to tourists from all countries.

According to the Health Ministry, the country reported 12,930 new cases on Tuesday, with 753 patients in critical condition.

In addition, 4,461,159 citizens have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 720,986 have already received a fourth shot.

Israel began lifting restrictions in November and had entirely removed its red list system of travel restrictions by January.

Since then, the number of tourists has gradually increased, but it is still far below pre-pandemic levels.

According to Reuters, approximately 46,000 visitors visited Israel in January 2022, up from 7,800 in January 2021 but still considerably below the 333,000 who came in January 2020.