As of November 1, tourists who are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 will be able to enter Israel for the first time since April 2020. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitsan Horowitz made the announcement last Thursday, as the country’s numbers continue to decline from the most recent wave of coronavirus.
For Israeli tourism purposes, fully vaccinated tourists are those who have taken at least two vaccine shots of the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Sinovac, or Sinopharm vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson and Johnson. After last Friday’s meeting with Bennett and Russian President Putin, it is likely that Israel will also allow those who received Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine to be accepted by November 15, despite the non-approval of the vaccine by the FDA or WHO.
For citizens of Israel, being fully vaccinated requires having a third shot, which about 3.9 million people have received. At least a million people who have received two shots more than 6 months ago are no longer granted the Green Pass, which allows easy access to public events and restaurants. Since last quarter, coronavirus cases have dropped 57% with only 249 severe cases.
