Israel has said it will likely delay reopening the border for most tourists until September

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Israel is again expected to delay allowing individual tourists to enter the country amid fears of high rates of COVID-19 infection, according to a TV report on Saturday.

The postponement will see the general tourism movement return from August to September, according to Channel 13 news.

Israel has allowed some tour groups into the country in recent months, but not tourists who travel independently. He had initially planned to reopen the door to the latter in May, but the Health Ministry’s recommendations pushed the plans into July, then August, and that date is now expected to be pushed back until September.

The network said that the ministry intends to submit its recommendation regarding a new postponement to the Council of Ministers, although no official decision has been taken so far.

The Ministry of Health is also expected to recommend children to start the next school year by studying in socially distanced “capsules”, TV reports said, due to concerns about the spread of the Corona virus among unvaccinated students.

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According to data from the Ministry of Health, about 35% of people aged 12 to 15 years have received the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine so far. Another 11% were identified as recovering from the virus.

According to Channel 12, as of Saturday, 200,000 young people aged 12 to 15 had received their first dose of the vaccine, including 15,000 over the weekend. Three of the nation’s largest HMOs said 50 percent of that age group had received their first shot, according to the network.

Saturday was the deadline for teens to get their first dose of the vaccine with the country’s current batch, as the current stockpile of vaccines will expire at the end of July. Children ages 12 to 15 who haven’t received their first dose by Saturday won’t be able to get their second dose three weeks later, and will have to wait until the next Pfizer payment arrives.

The next shipment of Pfizer shots was expected to arrive in September. However, Channel 12 reported on Saturday that Israel is in talks with Pfizer in hopes of acquiring the next shipment in August. The Department of Health’s outgoing director general, Chezy Levy, confirmed to Kan News that officials hope to speed up the next delivery so that teens can continue to be vaccinated.

Young Israelis receive a COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Tel Aviv, July 6, 2021 (Jamal Awad/Flash90)

Meanwhile, people over 16 years of age will be able to get the Moderna vaccine, which is not yet approved for use in the under-16 age group.

On Saturday evening, the Ministry of Health published updated figures for COVID-19 showing that the number of seriously ill patients has risen to 43.

About 700 newsworthy cases were diagnosed over the weekend.

The number of active cases reached 4,064, and the number of deaths since the beginning of the epidemic has increased by one to 6,435.

Of the 84,553 tests taken Friday, 0.7% came back positive, similar to the rate recorded in recent days, but higher than last month’s rate of positivity, which hovered near zero on some days.

On Wednesday and Thursday, the country witnessed the first death attributed to the virus in more than two weeks.

The resurgence of the virus, due to the delta variant, has become a major issue for the new government of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, less than two months after the number of cases dwindled as a result of mass vaccination, allowing Israel to lift most restrictions and reopen public life.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett delivers televised remarks at Ben Gurion Airport, June 22, 2021 (Flash90)

The Ministry of Health announced, Friday, that all travelers, including those who have been vaccinated and who have recovered from COVID-19, will be required to self-isolate for up to 24 hours upon arrival in the country or until their coronavirus test comes back negative, starting late next week. .

Meanwhile, returnees from 16 countries believed to have high infection rates will be required to completely self-isolate for 14 days, or 10 days with two negative tests, according to the ministry’s updated guidelines, which will take effect on July 16.

Israelis who had been vaccinated or who had recovered from COVID-19 were, until recently, largely exempt from quarantine upon their return to the country.

On Friday, the Health Ministry also updated the list of countries with high infection rates that Israelis are barred from entering. Countries prohibited to Israelis are Uzbekistan, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico and Russia.

The resurgence of the coronavirus in Israel is largely attributed to the spread of the delta type, which was first detected in India and is believed to be twice as contagious as the original COVID strain.

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