Bennett Reveals No Intention of Allowing Vaccinated People into Israel

In recent news, the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Naftali Bennett, revealed that he does not intend to let tourists, vaccinated or otherwise, enter the country anytime soon.

When questioned further about it, he added that a plan to admit tourists into the country will depend on the virus. If the vaccination campaign takes off again and there is a reduction in the number of infections, the leader said that the doors to Israel will be opened once again. He remarked that even then, proper procedures and testing will be put in place to ensure that the virus does not spread again. This will include testing before landing and takeoff, as well as quarantine based on the country a particular tourist is traveling from. 

According to the Prime Minister, the country cannot afford to take any chances, given the current situation of the pandemic. He went on to assert that allowing in mass amounts of tourists would only endanger lives of the people. 

When the third wave ended, the previous government had announced that it would be allowing in vaccinated tourists into the State of Israel on the 1st of July. However, the move was pushed off until the 1st of August but, due to the rising number of cases in the country, there is no set date as to when people will be allowed in again. 

On the other hand, tourists traveling in small and approved groups have been granted permission to enter Israel, since the end of the month of May. The Delta variant has been gathering storm in the country. On Wednesday, no less than 195 people, who had travelled to Israel from foreign countries within the last ten days, tested positive for the deadly disease.

In other news, the Prime Minister also talked about the upcoming Jewish holidays. He said that if the country wants to avoid a complete lockdown and celebrate the occasion fully, people need to make appointments and consequently, get vaccinated. 

In Bennett’s words, the future of the Jewish holidays in the country depends on the number of people getting vaccinated. He urged the citizens of Israel, aged over 60, to go and get the third shot of the coronavirus vaccine administered. He also encouraged youngsters to get the jab immediately and boost their immunization. 

On the subject of vaccinations, he revealed that five days after receiving the booster shot, people aged 60 and above are six times less likely to contract the virus, as compared to people who have only ben given two jabs. While referring to youngsters, he asked them to show responsibility towards the society, as well as their loved ones and get vaccinated at the earliest. 

As of now, there are around one million citizens in the country, who are eligible to get vaccinated but have not yet made appointments. Bennett said that the government is considering bringing back the purple ribbon outline, which will place restrictions on the number of visiting allowed at a venue.