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Covid-19 Testing Centers Now Available at Ben-Gurion Airport

Nov 4, 2020
Covid-19 Testing Centers Now Available at Ben-Gurion Airport

The long and much-awaited rapid coronavirus testing centers were installed at the Ben-Gurion Airport. They will start operating from the 9th of November if the Health Ministry gives them the green signal. 

The Rambam Medical Center in Haifa was granted the tender for testing by the Israel Airports Authority. Back in July, they had applied to be granted permission to install test centers. Now, they will be operating these stations with Omega, the coronavirus testing center itself. 

These Check2Fly testing stations will be situated at terminal 3 of the Ben-Gurion airport. It is believed that these will have a major and positive impact on Israelis traveling abroad. Moreover, the government hopes that the installation of such stations will eventually pave the way for non-Israelis to enter the country. 

Omega has already made efforts to ensure that this initiative is successful. Thus, they have contacted various travel agents to help develop travel and coronavirus test packages for this particular purpose. 

These stations will be available at the Ben-Gurion airport round the clock. As per the relevant authorities, coronavirus testing centers will significantly reduce the cost of the citizens traveling to the countries that require the Covid-19 test results in English. NIS 45 and NIS 135 will be charged for 14 and 4-hour results, respectively. 

Sources further revealed that people who test negative for the virus will be granted a ‘medical passport’. It will be provided to them, in English, before they board their flight. 

From the Check2Fly stations, the test results will then be transported to a laboratory nearby. It is the aim of the government to make sure that incoming businessmen from ‘red’ or high infection countries will be allowed to enter Israel. Thus, the testing stations will be instrumental in helping the authorities achieve their goal.

The Ben-Gurion airport was sealed for non-Israeli citizens ever since the pandemic surfaced. However, in recent news, the Economy Ministry gave good news to the country. They gave permission to businessmen to enter the country, even those incoming from places deemed to be ‘red states’. The only condition being that they will have to get tested for coronavirus and present negative results to the authorities. 

The government expressed that it hopes these rapid testing coronavirus centers are a step towards progress in the country. According to them, the installation of these stations could be significant in restoring a sense of normalcy to the country.

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