Israel said aiming to resume travel with low-infection bloc in July

Israel is drawing up plans to resume commercial flights to some nearby countries with low COVID-19 contagion rates starting July 1, a report said Tuesday. Travel in and out of Israel has been all but shut down for over a month, but Israel and other countries that have managed to escape the pandemic relatively unscathed have been discussing the possibility of creating a special travel zone that would see trips resume without the need for strict quarantine measures. According to a report, Israel would start reopening travel with Greece and Cyprus on July 1, before resuming flights to several other European destinations. A preliminary pilot program in June would see flights to unspecified nearby destinations resume, albeit while still requiring returning travellers to quarantine for 14 days, according to a proposal drawn up by airline executives and presented to the Health Ministry Tuesday. The Health Ministry will monitor passengers, and ask them to undergo coronavirus testing when they return to Israel. If the travel is not seen to contribute to a new wave of infections, authorities would roll back the quarantine requirements and other restrictions. The Airports Authority is thus hoping to start regular flights to and from Greece and Cyprus from July 1. <br/>