Published August 3, 2021 2:45 PM IST
Aug 3 12:52 PM IST UPDATE: In light of a public outcry over the short notice, officials have further delayed implementation of the new High Risk countries until Wednesday, August 11.
This afternoon, government officials announced that 18 more countries will be added to the list of ‘High Risk’ countries. This means that all travelers returning from these countries, including vaccinated or recovered persons will be required to observe quarantine. Quarantine is 14 days, but can be shortened to 7 days.
These new rules will take effect at midnight on August 6 (between Thursday and Friday). Chaim V’Chessed advises those vacationing in these countries to depart from those locales before this time to avoid quarantine. The new ruling means that American students arriving next week, for the new school year, will be required to observe quarantine upon arrival.
This also means that travelers from the USA will not be able to visit Israel for less than seven days, as they will not be permitted to leave the country while in mandatory quarantine. Serological tests are not accepted as grounds for quarantine exemption for travelers coming from High Risk countries.
The new countries are:
The United States, Botswana, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czech Republic, Egypt, Eswatini (Swaziland), France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Malawi, Netherlands, Rwanda, Tanzania, Tunisia, and Ukraine.
(At the same time, the following countries will be removed from the ‘High Risk’ list: Seychelles, Zambia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Uganda, Liberia, Panama and Kenya.)