Israel's airlines: Replace quarantine with a third COVID-19 test

Israel’s airlines have asked the Health Ministry to replace the quarantines with a third corona test. Roni Numa, the country’s corona airport commissioner, is in favor of this proposal and open to other possibilities, his spokesman said Sunday. He said he believed there is a reasonable chance the government would accept this compromise in a meeting with the Health Ministry late Sunday. Starting Wednesday, travelers from the US, France, Italy, Germany, Greece and about 20 other countries will be required to isolate for a minimum of seven days, even if they are fully vaccinated or recovered, after the government put those countries under a severe travel warning. That ruling caused “mass hysteria” among travelers, leading many to cancel or defer their flight plans, travel agents said.<br/>Israel’s pandemic travel regulations are among the strictest in the world, and many, including top health professionals, have charged that there is no scientific justification to require so many travelers to isolate themselves after flights. Other countries, like Great Britain, have been removing quarantine requirements in recent days for fully vaccinated travelers.<br/>