Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are both popular international tourist destinations. Photo / Sander Crombach, Unsplash
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are both popular international tourist destinations. Photo / Sander Crombach, Unsplash
All visitors to Israel will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks, in an announcement by the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"Everyone who comes to Israel from abroad will enter the 14-day isolation," Netanyahu announced in a video statement shared to his official Twitter account.
The country's Minister of the Interior confirmed that this measure would apply immediately to returning Israeli nationals.
The measure would be applied to foreign citizens from Thursday, regardless of their previous travel history.
אחרי יממה של דיונים מורכבים קיבלנו החלטה: כל מי שיגיע לישראל מחו"ל ייכנס לבידוד של 14 יום.
זו החלטה קשה, אבל היא חיונית כדי לשמור על בריאות הציבור - ובריאות הציבור קודמת לפני הכל.
ההחלטה הזאת תהיה בתוקף לשבועיים, במקביל אנחנו מקבלים החלטות כדי לשמור על כלכלת ישראל. pic.twitter.com/5qYFRW3AaC
"After a day of complex discussions, we made a decision: Everyone who comes to Israel from abroad will enter the 14-day isolation.
" This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public health - and public health precedes everything," Netanyahu announced in the video statement.
"This decision will be valid for two weeks," he said.
During the weekly cabinet meeting the Israeli prime minister suggested that extreme measures would be taken regarding the virus. "We are in the midst of a global pandemic," the PM told his cabinet on Sunday "even if this has not been declared officially."
There are currently 300,000 Israeli citizens expected to return from abroad, according to Israeli media. This is the equivalent of roughly 3 per cent of the population.
The country has so far recorded 42 cases of Covid-19.
Mfat has so far not updated their travel advisories for the country, but a spokesperson told the Herald that the Ministry "are aware of Israel's new isolation measures for travellers and our advice on SafeTravel is under continuous monitoring and review."
