Israel’s complicated new policy to avoid quarantine upon returning from abroad addresses all kinds of scenarios except one big one. What about foreign nationals?
As of 9/3, Israelis who have received a 3rd vaccine dose or who tested positive for COVID in the past 6 months or who got their 2nd dose in the past 6 months can avoid quarantine after returning from abroad by testing negative for a COVID PCR before travel and again after landing.
Red countries, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Mexico, and Turkey, remain no-go zones that are off-limits to Israelis.
After the quarantine avoidance option was announced, massive queues formed at Tel Aviv’s Kikar Dizengoff, where vaccinations are available until 2AM with no appointment required. Earlier that day there were no lines there.
כשבתל אביב שמעו שמחוסנים לא יצטרכו להיכנס לבידוד בחזרה מחו״ל pic.twitter.com/Tq8LqI531H
— יבגני זרובינסקי (@ivgiz) August 29, 2021
Everyone 12 and older is eligible and encouraged to get a 3rd vaccine dose 5 months after their 2nd dose and you are now only considered fully vaccinated a week after your 3rd dose. Green Passports will be valid for 6 months from your PCR positive test or 6 months from your 2nd or 3rd vaccine dose (or from your 1st vaccine dose if you had COVID).
Israel has now vaccinated over 2 million citizens with a 3rd dose. The rate of severe hospitalizations among the non-vaccinated is 15 times greater than those fully vaccinated.
Unfortunately, some 18 months into the pandemic, Israel still doesn’t know how to deal with foreigners.
They had planned to open this summer to vaccinated visitors, but that was cancelled after the delta variant caused a spike of cases in Israel.
But while studies show that people with high antibody levels after a vaccine are protected and people with low antibody levels after a vaccine are vulnerable to breakthrough COVID, we don’t yet know what exactly those levels are.
Israel’s refusal to recognize vaccines administered outside of the country means there is still no game plan to allow foreign nationals into the country. The new guidelines don’t even give any guidance to foreign nationals, even if they have a green passport from testing positive for antibodies in the past. The Ministry of Health is telling people who ask to wait until the new policy goes into effect on Friday to find out how they will deal with foreign nationals and those who received vaccines abroad.
And so despite Ben Gurion Airport finally getting antibody testing, Israel no longer recognizes antibody levels as a means to avoid quarantine.
Israel’s reactions since day 1 of the pandemic have felt that they were implemented without much thought into logistics or how it would affect people. Often times contradicting guidance has been provided or no guidance was offered at all. Israel’s embassies have been tasked with providing exceptions for foreigners to enter, but they aren’t given the resources to process requests in a timely manner.
18 months into a pandemic that is crossing the line into being an endemic virus, it seems odd that there aren’t more coherent policies in place as other countries have long ago managed. We have already cancelled 3 trips for us to go to Israel and see my wife’s brother, despite both of us being fully vaccinated. It’s upsetting that because we didn’t have the privilege of getting vaccinated in Israel, we don’t have any option to avoid quarantine, never mind trying to bring the kids in as well.
Sure, a country has an obligation to take care of its own citizens, but those citizens also long to have their relatives visit.
What do you make of Israel’s COVID era policies?
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96 Comments On "Israel’s New Quarantine Avoidance Policies Leave Foreigners In The Dark Once Again"
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tzyionim what do u expect
the tumah medinah
so stay in NY
He’s welcome to come to Eretz Yisroal w/o believing in these kofrim. We were here before them….
Spot on, Dan. As long as our entry permits come through (IYH), we are still planning to visit our daughters for Sukkot, even though it means we’ll be in bidud for the first part of the chag.
How many times is this country going to change their rules? 5x a month?
I visited Israel in May and did serology, getting my Tav Yarok. I am not a citizen. I have taken a Pfizer booster. It is exasperating that I will have to spend Yom Kippur in quarantine because Israel cant get its act together and think about this logically.
It’s more than exasperating, it feels disrespectful and offensive at this point 🙁
I’m a US citizen, I contacted משרד הבריאות yesterday after I had taken the Antibody test in Israel 2 months ago and will be arriving on Friday IY”H, and was told that after airport test cones back negative there is no need to quarintine.
Called again and they are saying that “Dan” is right, I still need to Quarentine…..
Nobody knows. There’s no guidance.
Next time don’t ask. Do whatever you want
“disrespectful”? “offensive”? true, the govt has blundered from one incoherent response to another. but, it is faced with a crisis and it is desperate to avoid a catastrophe. it should have done better. it can do much better, even with the limited resources of its diplomatic missions. but, to dilate on one’s own circumstances, though understandable, is, I think, a mistake.
I gave lots of slack for the first year. And yes, I’m venting pent up frustration.
But seeing other countries honor US vaccines and tests while the Jewish state continues to keep Jewish families apart some 18 months later, with no end in sight, is beyond frustrating.
Israel gets a lot of Jewish tourists. I am not super impressed with the behavior of travelers from either side and their documents. There have been too many issues.
You were and are eligible to go as first degree relative. There was no 7 day quarantine until last month- you had your chance! Drop the kids with JJ and come to Israel!
Sure, just drop off 4 young children, including a nursing infant. Easy as pie!
If you have a first degree relative you can get permits for your children as well. I just got my brother and his family permits.
Even without antibodies? That was never officially in the rules.
Even so, then you have the quarantine issue.
Yes all you need is a past positive.
Which I don’t have for my kids.
I went with little children.
You have to learn your way around….
Same as YOU know in the points business…
I’m not willing to lie, cheat, or break the law to go somewhere. I’ll go where I’m wanted.
Depends how bad you want it…..
In the points business it’s also with some WORKING AROUND, you can call it cheat, lie… or …. working around.
I got permits for my children without making a positive. Just wrote ‘unvaccinated nor recovered’
The problem is that there are TOO MANY tzadikim out there that think they have a heter (or mechuyav) to cheat or lie, abi they come to Eretz Yisroel – it’s a mitzva, no? How many tzdikim were caught forging PCR tests or vax certificates? And only a small percentage were caught.
Israel has an obligation to protect it’s citizens, period. Try getting into New Zealand! You want to see your relatives? Send them tickets to go to the States. I’m all for completely closing the borders until Corona is wiped off the face of the earth.
Would you host a person in your house for lets say two weeks if you thought they had Corona and he tells you up and down that he’s OK, it’s not REALLY the correct symptoms, AND took 3 Vaxs, AND had Corona twice already. AND…? Or how about your neighbor’s kid constantly scratching her head, but the mother swearing she checked for lice and is clean. Would you allow her to play with your kid (and sleep over)? And lice isn’t fatal!
You’re so gong ho on Eretz Yisroel? Put your passport where your mouth is – Make aliya.
“I’m all for completely closing the borders until Corona is wiped off the face of the earth.”
Most medical experts say that corona is already endemic. There is no wiping it off of Earth, just as there is no wiping flu or the common cold off of Earth. So, you want it to be closed forever?
You don’t need to trust, you can check antibody levels at the airport now.
To be honest, Israel’s knee jerk reactions and daily, sometimes contradictory changes as if headless chickens are making the rules have made me less inclined to make aliya. I’ve heard the same from others as well.
“Israel’s knee jerk reactions and daily, sometimes contradictory changes as if headless chickens are making the rules”
I wholly agree, but Trump/Sleepy Joe and of course Fauci aren’t any better. I heard a good one on the radio while New Yorklast week that explains most of it.
“While the doctors started dabbling in politics, and the politicians got into medicine – we have no hope of getting out of this.”
Still, how many deaths in New Zealand? They got plenty of headless chickens there.
And of course Dan, we’d love to see you and your here on a one way ticket. The more frum people here…
I’ll even give you my free 5 guest passes on Clear.
Kol haKavod for your response.
I agree.
Thanks for all the chesed you do, by the way. From Charlie from LB
You too Charlie – come on over. We need you and you need us.
CORRECTION: This is not only about foreign nationals. The problems exist also for Israeli citizens who don’t live in Israel.
+100
I was told by the MoH yesterday that Israeli living abroad can upload their foreign vaccination records and the MoH will update their records accordingly.
I just tried for relatives of mine. I’m skeptical but who knows. I’ll report back
Can you provide the link for uploading the info?
You can post the link to the English version of the new policy:
https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/29082021-01
Thanks, harder to find things on the MoH site than it is to search for El Al saver award tickets.
Maybe. But in this case, all that was needed was to change the language at the top left (when on the Hebrew or Arabic page, top right when on English or Russian page. The page has not been translated to French or Spanish).
This article seems to say that antibody tests would be acceptable, once the decision is made to allow non-Israelis to enter:
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/covid-19-serological-tests-for-those-vaccinated-abroad-available-at-ben-gurion-678100
on the official israeli goverment site it says that these antibody tests are good to avoid quaratine.
I am pasting from https://corona.health.gov.il/directives/air-travel-covid19-green/?tab=vaccinated-and-recovered#vaccinated-and-recovered?utm_source=go.gov.il&utm_medium=referral
התחסנתי או החלמתי בחו”ל
כניסה לבידוד
מיד עם כניסתך לישראל עליך להיכנס לבידוד על פי ההנחיות.
אם התחסנת או החלמת מחוץ לישראל אינך פטור מבידוד באופן אוטומטי. אפשר לבקש פטור מבידוד באופן הבא:
ביצוע בדיקה סרולוגית
יש לבצע בדיקה סרולוגית בתשלום בכל אחת מהמעבדות המוכרות על ידי משרד הבריאות. אם החלמת מקורונה, יש להמתין לפחות 10 ימים בין קבלת תוצאה חיובית לקורונה לבין ביצוע הבדיקה הסרולוגית.
חשוב שתדע שלא יתקבלו בקשות לפטור מבידוד אחרי מנת חיסון אם מדובר בחיסון שצריך להינתן בשתי מנות.
אין צורך באישור יציאה חריגה מבידוד כדי לבצע בדיקת PCR לאבחון קורונה או כדי לבצע בדיקה סרולוגית להכרה בחיסון או החלמה בחו”ל. ניתן לצאת להיבדק בהתאם לתנאי היציאה מבידוד.
מתי אוכל לצאת מהבידוד
עליך להמתין לקבלת הודעה בסמס ו/או בדואר האלקטרוני אשר מאשרת את ביטול הבידוד.
אם לא קיבלת הודעת סיום בידוד אחרי 48 שעות מקבלת תוצאות הבדיקות (PCR שלילי וסרולוגיה חיובית) אז יש למלא טופס בקשה ליציאה מבידוד.
No more poll options
I just arrived 2 weeks ago from NY did a seriological test and was out of bidud same day. When did that change?
8/11.
And they wonder why people fake documents.
And don’t respect the quarantine.
Not to mention that if you pay off the right protektzia you can get your quarantine canceled
Dan, thank you the post expressing all of our shared frustrations. Cancelled two trips to Israel already, and its not looking promising for my planned trip in December.
Crazy when you realize that the current policy is designed to keep out the Delta variant, which is more widespread in Israel than any other country. Kind of backwards.
Very good article. Couldn’t agree more. I am very frustrated with it as well since they will not allow babies over the age of 1 in without proof of recovery. We had an antibody test done yesterday for my daughter and results came back negative 🙁 looks like my in laws won’t be able to see their granddaughter for what could be half a year now, maybe longer.
Arrived from NY yesterday (UA84). Am Israeli citizen. Got results of airport PCR within 12 hours (negative). Am fully vaccinated (3x). Called MoH to ask can I be let out of bidud by Friday when new rule goes into effect. After waiting on phone over an hour (whatsapps weren’t answered) I was told no, must stay in bidud until Monday and can leave Sunday to take PCR test. Oh, but had I arrived on Friday , I wouldn’t need any bidud? Right, but too bad.
Aren’t you allowed to enter albeit with quarantine? That would mean you are more than welcome to see your relatives.
So, not everyone in Israel has the space to house 6 people…
And no, kids aren’t officially allowed in unless they have recovered from covid.
What about foreign nationals who were vaccinated in Israel and have a green passport (i.e., yeshiva students)? Can they go back for a short visit and bypass quarantine?
Mashiach was actually planning on coming… but he didn’t take the 3rd vaccine yet so he canceled. Our loss.
You may want to look into this study.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/08/new-israeli-study-finds-fully-vaccinated-people-greater-risk-hospitalization-13-times-likely-catch-covid-19-recovered-natural-immunity/
OK?
Good to see this type of data too.
You may also want to read this article that show a study how natural immunity is better than a vaccine. Something that used to be obvious until Covid came and people were blinded.
https://dailycaller.com/2021/08/28/natural-immunity-covid-19-coronavirus-vaccine-israeli-study/?fbclid=IwAR0522lB_mSIOX89MDh_yqL8clSXoiIrTsDRfi8HxAOW4K1Bg1AiWuVRxoU
Booster after 5mon? C’mon! This is the most ridiculous thing ever for Israel, it’s citizens, and all Jews wanting to go to Israel. I don’t care anymore about this vaccination protocol in Israel or sadly coming to USA. So I got my 2, but that isn’t good enough so now I’m not considered up to date? If I would’ve known and understood that this would be the case I would never have gotten the shots. What the heck is happening to this world and to Eretz Israel?!?
All Jews are free to move to Israel and travel freely. You choose not to live here
Thanks for venting for all of us. I have a ticket in Oct for a Bar Mitzva for four days, that doesn’t work when you have to quarantine for 7 days, even with getting in because of first degree relatives. Very frustrating. The only good thing is that United switched my flights (from through SFO to through ORD) so I can cancel without penalty if necessary, but very not cool….
Happy and Healthy year to all!
Israel’s policies are pathetic, however this is going to a big push to allow tourist in, the hotels were all filled with Israelis avoiding going aboard, once that changes tourist industry is going to need foreigners back.
I agree with you 100%, it just never seems to add up.
They need to give much more weight to antibodies and not just look blindly at all these ridiculous conditions.
In my view, if you have a certain level of antibodies, you should automatically get in without quarantine, regardless if you got them from COVID, a vax, a friend, Walmart….. It should make absolutely NO difference how you got them, it’s none of their business!!
Now, if someone did what they could and for some strange reason doesn’t have AB then they can start with all their ridiculous stuff.
The major flaw with this approach, and the reason they wouldn’t ever consider it,is because of its simplicity. Things must be very complicated and illogical 🙁
Your view is meaningless unless you have significant medical knowledge.
Since when does medical knowledge have anything to do with Covid regulations?
The US should seal the border for anyone coming from Israel.
100%!!! If Israel won’t let Americans in because they fear we will infect their people, then Israelis who come to American shouldn’t be allowed back home either !!!
New poll!
When does Israel open up?
a) January 2022
b) January 2023
c) January 2024
d) when Moshiach comes (hope he has antibodies)
Hey Dan, I’m a US national and I’ve been living in israel for the past couple months, and neither me nor any of my friends actually quarantined , Even though we officially had to. Israel is not enforcing these quarantines. Out of my whole community of Americans no one was penalized for not quarantining
1. Not looking to break the law or risk a future entry ban.
2. You can’t enter with kids who haven’t had COVID. Yes, I’m also aware you can photoshop that, but see number 1.
They rarely; if ever look at the actual test! I’ve been asked to show my test ONCE leaving Israel and the agent at check-in barely glanced at it! In my experience the so called “document verification” when leaving the US is also ridiculous. The gate agents just glance at your COVID test to see when it was taken. Which is BTW a very easy PDF edit.
I’m not talking about airline agents, I’m talking about applying for an entry permit.
As for photoshop, see number 1 above.
I’m not going to sneak in like a criminal, I’ll travel where I’m wanted.
Gotcha
A doctors note wouldn’t work as proof of recovery?
1. Would you stay out of your own home if some bumbling fool occupied it and then didn’t “want” you there?
2. If Jews in the diaspora would have only gone where they were wanted, we’d all be living on the moon.
This.
This is why Israel is being so harsh. People lie to get what they want, brag about it, and try to convince other people to do the same.
I think Dan is being extremely diplomatic in his comments.
Disgusting! You are bragging about breaking the law. Dina D’malchuta Dina. All the fake documents, not keeping rules and laws, is vile behavior. Go back to the US with out of control Corona, worse that here. You are not needed or wanted here.
I really think its time for all of us to do something about this…
if we cant go into Israel to visit our families we need to stop letting the israelis swarmp us in america…
they always ask American Jewry to help them but they could not care about us…
does it make sense that Israel is allowing 20,000 people to go to Uman ?
enough is enough….
You are confusing the PEOPLE of Israel with the GOVERNMENT of Israel. Believe me, most of us are at least as fed up with these policies as the rest of you! We are making 2 weddings this year, BE”H, and have no idea if our fully vacced relatives will be allowed in.
All goes to show that Israels not ours yet! I just got back from South Africa this morning on UA 187 and only required a test each way and it’s beautiful there.
No Right of Return
I disagree with those who wish to wreak vengeance on Israel. For the US, Covid is a tragedy. For Israel, it is an existential threat as well as a tragedy. If the IDF becomes infected, don’t you think that certain neighbors will march right in? Give Israel a break.
You think the IDF hasn’t seen any outbreaks? And you think that if even every single IDF member gets COVID every single one of them will die? Check the stats for the survivability rate for COVID (and no, not 100% of young and healthy soldiers who get it will die). The IDF soldiers are not dropping dead chas v’sholom if and when they get COVID- they will more than likely survive and thrive. So no chance the neighbor is marching in anywhere anytime soon. Besides for the fact that it’s Hashem who makes sure that doesn’t happen, not the IDF.
COVID is a tragedy for the entire world that now needs to be dealt with as a virus that is here to stay. At this point, Israel and their bungled policies need to get a life. Enough is enough.
Well, I beg to differ.
Mononucleosis has devastated entire armies in the past……and Covid is much more contagious.Soldiers just need to be disabled, not dead/dying (chas v’shalom), to incapacitate an army.
Perhaps we will just have to agree to disagree.
I am a Israeli in NY now. I have covid. when will I be allowed to fly home
A year from tommorow
FYI this post is irrelevant.
Foreign nationals have not been receiving entry permits for a few weeks now. Yes, foreign nationals that are first degree relatives of Israeli citizens living in Israel are not getting responses to their applications.
Apparently this administrative hold on approvals and responses to applications is over 2 weeks already.
Why its legal is a good question.
Exactly. I have applied over 2weeks ago and still haven’t received reply. Had to cancle my tickets and insurance as there is no one to talk to about it.
I beg to disagree. My wife and I got permits. Our Mechutans got them. We all arrived 30 August.
We’re quarantined till Erev RH.
We have first degree family ( our children and grandchildren) that we’ve only seen on WhatsApp video for the past two years.
What dates did you receive entry permits? Before 8/15?
My understanding is that for the most part there is an administrative hold on permits for over 2 weeks now..
make aliyah and you will have no problem coming!!!! we did it 35 years ago from cleveland and we thank Hashem every single day for the zchut of living on admat kodesh. we wouldn’t trade our problems for yours for all the money in the world!
It’s all illogical. Here’s the experience our family had. About 50 of us went to a siblings wedding including adults and kids. Some marrieds were born in Israel while others were not. The kids are not Israeli citizens.
We all did real COVID tests before leaving the US and they were negative. Most of us also had the virus at different times during the past year and a half.
There was no way out of the quarantine for the first seven days. We did tests after arriving and another one after the first week which is when we were finally freed. Obviously it costed us a lot of money to pay for apartments while just sitting there instead of being able to go visit family and holy sites. We literally felt like we were in a random apartment somewhere in the world the first week, except for when the bell in Yerushalayim rang on Erev Shabbos (singing beautiful Shabbos songs) and we also had a bit of a view from our porch. No street views because we were very high up.
Yes, some family members chose to quarantine in Meron while visiting all nearby sites and others left there apartments for grocery shopping etc. but by and large most were obedient and the quarantine was looming over our heads. We got mixed reports from people. Some said they never call or check, others said they stop you in cars at security checkpoints or they go onto random buses, especially the Mehadrin ones.
But here’s where the irony starts. Once we got out, we arrived at our simcha and heard from various family members living in Israel that the virus is going around and many people who were at the (smallish) wedding caught it. Within the next week, slowly but surely more than half the family got sick.
So when everyone was finally ready to enjoy the trip… well, they were off to bed. The rest of the family either got sick on the trip home and a minority miraculously made it home healthy.
So, can you please tell me how this quarantine benefited anyone? Why would it not be enough to arrive with a negative test? And why, oh why can all Israelis enter the US if obviously the virus is rampant there way more than it is here?
P.S. I saw a paper today, signed by the Beis Din of Harav Wosner in Israel, stating that nobody should take the vaccine anymore.
The quarantine benefited the people of Israel, in that your family did not bring in a new virus strain. ( a new one was just found in South Africa)
Another issue with Covid in Israel, is that their hospital system is poorly financed relative to the USA. If the number of very ill people overwhelm their hospital system, it would be very devastating. They don’t have as many beds/ventilators/nurses/doctors per 100,000 people like we do…..and our system has been occasionally overwhelmed.
I pray that your entire family recovered totally. Your anecdote excellently demonstrates the ferocity of this new mutation in the post-infected.
I arrived to Israel two days ago. The process was painful and very time consuming. Yad L’olim was EXTREMELY helpful. I also arranged for the third jab prior to departure.
rav wosner has been a corona sceptic from the beggining
Sorry Dan, we seem to be forgetting this is a novel coronavirus and the Delta is a novel variant. No country has it down perfectly or even close to it. Honestly with the direction we are heading in maybe travel should once again be put on hold. As much as that makes me cry. I miss my sisters.
If the result of Israel’s policies on foreign nationals entering the country, had been a low infection rate, it could have been justified. But with all their strict and crazy policies, what have they accomplished ? They currently have the highest infection rate in the world. They only thing that the have accomplished, is destroying the tourist industry
I used to think that Israel needs us tourists until my trip a few weeks ago. With virtually no tourists tbere was pushing room only at the kotel friday night, no tables available at Rimon, Eilat hotels were sold out, dead sea was sold out, geulla was packed. Maybe they dont need us.
Should have not gone along with ANY of the nonsense protocols or mandates after “15 days to slow the spread” certainly not lauded and celebrated so many of them like some here did Israel as a trailblazer leading the world on how to end covid and resume life with these “amazing miracle vaccines”. Rolling up their sleeves for the instagram shot selfie. We may not have ended covid but it would have minimized the damage and net loss on society. Viruses will inevitably have variants, not necessarily more dangerous or resistant ones, unless you interject these much less than perfect “vaccines” into the equation. All these genius man-made miracle government interventions are a net loss on our society and life and have spiraled the destruction of our children and humanity. I feel so angry sad and sorry that so much of the world refused to see this many months ago and still insists “give us more!” Absolute “safety” over all else.
Now it affects Dan’s travel so the stupifying nature of the protocols as it becomes more and more obviously unreasonable is a problem. Maybe we should have not waited until deal was too hard even for the deal king to speak up. My point is it was all wrong and ill-conceived from day 1. Or maybe day 16. Forced lockdowns mask mandates, testing, vaccine mandates. Private or public. As long as Dan was comfortable going along with it for his ticket to rider it was “hey its a free country” to those that complained. “You don’t have to fly”. Those in true danger could have always locked down or vaccinated at their choice and protected themselves until the wave or waves passed through without the oh so compassionate and caring government’s or corporations help. Like little mice scurrying about making a mess wreaking havoc thinking they are saving the world…
Nope. It’s been affecting my travel since day 1, we’ve had 3 cancelled trips.
It was reasonable to be closed last spring when everyone was figuring out the novel virus. 18 months later, it’s disappointing that things haven’t been better planned or resolved.
Most thought that the vaccine was their ticket back to normal, but now they want everyone to line up for the boosters because the shot didn’t work like they told us it would. In Israel, there are more vaccinated than unvaccinated hospitalized. Wonder how many more lockdowns or vaccine mandates are in our future?!
arrived tel aviv on sep 3 did the serology test at the airport (for 126 shekkel ~ $40), applied on sep 4 (motzei shabes) to exit quarantine (although the femi test isnt listed on the משר הבריאות website as a qualified serology test center), just got a permit to exit quarantine – on sep 13
very slow process