Almost two years, Israel closed their doors to tourists. I remember it very well because it happened just as I was about to make another trip there. This was at the beginning of Covid and it took a long time for Israel to start to open their doors again. For a few times, even the airport was closed. But, the country began to reopen bit by bit – and now we have the time when the doors will swing open yet again.
Israel to Open to All Tourists – No Matter the Vaccination Status
While Israel had reopened to tourists late last year, it was to vaccinated tourists only which meant many children were unable to enter the country. For families, it meant that Israel was, effectively, still closed. But, now that Israel has seen great improvement in their overall numbers and they have confidence in how they have handled Covid to this point, they are ready to open the country again to all tourists – no matter if they have been vaccinated or not.
Not only is the country reopening but they are also dropping the long list of things that tourists must do for a visit in the Covid era. Now, the main remaining requirement for visiting Israel as a tourist is to have negative PCR test before taking off for Israel and then another PCR test upon arrival. But, there is no period of quarantine for tourists after taking that PCR test.
This will all happen starting from March 1 – so just a little over a week away. Later on in March is the Jerusalem Marathon so this will make it much easier for international participants of this race. I am still up in the air on this one – it was the last race I had signed up for before Covid but had been unable to run it. I was holding off this year due to the requirement to self-isolate for up to 24 hours on arrival. Since my trips are normally only between 24-48 hours, that was not something that appealed to me.
In addition, Israel will not continue their “Green Pass” system. This means that, from March 1, public spaces will again be open to anyone – regardless of vaccination status or recovery status. Lastly, Israel is hoping to remove the indoor mask requirement before the Passover holiday begins in April.
This is good news for anyone that has been longing for a trip to Israel! My family will be among those heading there this year and we are looking forward to it. I have been there over 2 dozen times but it will be the first time for my kids so I am very happy that the country is reopening. Of course, there is the added expense of the PCR tests for now but we can get those for just about $55 with results in less than 6 hours so it isn’t so severe.
My guess is that airlines will begin adding non-stop options again to Tel Aviv in the coming week with this news so check for some of those options or grab award space on current options before this news gets even more mainstream!
