Israel Bars Non-travelers From Tel Aviv Airport Amid Rise in COVID Cases

New regulations restricting access to Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport go into effect Monday night

Passengers through Ben-Gurion International Airport will not be allowed to have others accompany them, and non-travelers will be barred from entering the airport’s arrivals hall.

Those accompanying a minor or a person with special needs will be exempted from that rule.

The new restrictions, similar to ones imposed during the first wave of the coronavirus in a bid to decrease the chances of infection in the airport’s terminal, will be reinstated on Monday night.

On Sunday, the cabinet approved electronic monitoring of people entering the country and ordered to quarantine.

While the cabinet approved use of “electronic measures,” the government does not plan to use tracking bracelets, but rather to encourage the use of a smartphone app.

Currently, arrivals from the United Arab Emirates, the Seychelles, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Kyrgyzstan and Tunisia are already subject to quarantine, which was shortened last week by the coronavirus cabinet from ten to seven days.

Last week, Israel’s coronavirus czar Nachman Ash urged Israelis to refrain from travel abroad, warning that the virulent delta variant was spreading across the globe.

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-bars-non-travelers-from-tel-aviv-airport-amid-rise-in-covid-cases-1.10034234