Israel to welcome vaccinated Brits from May
Israel is set to welcome vaccinated groups of travellers from May, the country’s tourism minister announced today, as the country storms ahead in the global inoculation race.
The nation will open its gates to groups of foreigners from 23 May after more than a year of shuttered borders.
The first stage of reopening will see a limited number of groups start to arrive from that date, with the figure set to increase based on the health situation and progress of the programme.
Individual travellers will be allowed into Israel in the second stage of the country’s timeline for resuming international travel, details of which have not yet been hammered out.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has earmarked 17 May as the earliest possible date for the resumption of international travel out of the UK under his roadmap for leaving lockdown.
All inbound visitors to Israel will need to take a PCR test before boarding, alongside an antibody test to prove their vaccination status upon landing.
Israeli officials said the country was in discussions to recognise international vaccine passports that would nullify the requirement for antibody tests.
It comes as Israel ‘s vaccination programme continues to top the world charts. More than 81.5 per cent of the country’s adult population have received at least their first dose of a Covid vaccine, while around three-quarters are now fully vaccinated.
In comparison, around 58.5 per cent of the UK’s adult population has received a first dose of the vaccine so far.
Health minister Yuli Edelstein said: “Israel is the first vaccinated country, and the citizens of Israel are the first to enjoy this result. After opening the economy, it is time to allow tourism in a careful and calculated manner.”
A record 235,400 Brits flocked to Israel to visit cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Bethlehem in 2019 — equivalent to around 5.2 per cent of the country’s total tourism.
The country joins Iceland, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal in giving a firm date for when holidays might be possible for inoculated British travellers.
Iceland’s borders are currently open to all visitors who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 without being subject to border measures.
The North Atlantic country said it hopes more tourists will help revive its pandemic-hit economy, though many countries, including the UK, currently have national restrictions in place against foreign travel.
Malta, which usually attracts around 500,000 tourists from the UK each year, said last month that British travellers who have had both doses of a coronavirus vaccine will be allowed to enter from 1 June.
Meanwhile, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus each said they allow tourists who have either been vaccinated, already been infected with Covid or who can provide a negative PCR test to visit from 14 May.
The government last week unveiled a new traffic light system to pave the way for the resumption of international travel this summer.
Countries will be categorised based on risk, including a watch list for nations to move from “green” to “amber”.
All travellers will be expected to pay for PCR tests on their return to the UK at around £120 each, including those returning from countries on the safe “green list”.
However, the plans were met with furious backlash last night from both Tory MPs and businesses in the travel industry, who warned the restrictions meant holidays would be reserved for the wealthy.
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, said: “This does not represent a reopening of travel as promised by ministers, and the insistence on expensive and unnecessary PCR testing rather than rapid testing – even for low-risk countries – will pose an unsustainable burden on passengers, making travel unviable and unaffordable for many people.”