Rapid Coronavirus Testing Centers to be Established Across Israel

In recent news, the Health Ministry has announced that it will be established no less than 120 rapid coronavirus antigen testing centers in various parts of the State of Israel. These will begin operating from Sunday, as part of the Green Pass program of the Health Ministry. 

Magen David Adom will be in charge of running these complexes. They can choose to operate at their own stations or other important centers, which are located in different parts of the country. It has been expected that MDA will successfully carry out tens of thousands of rapid tests on a daily basis. The estimated time for results has been stated to be 15 minutes, with the proven accuracy lying somewhere between 85% to 95%. 

While announcing the introduction of these rapid coronavirus test complexes, Nitzan Horowitz, the health minister, went on to say that the Health Ministry understands that the disease is not going to disappear anytime soon. He asserted that along with the vaccination campaign being run by the government, the quick testing will allow the relevant authorities to safely manage life in Israel, as time passes. 

These rapid tests have been introduced for those people who are required to present a negative result of the coronavirus test to gain entry into a Green Pass event or establishment. This means that an individual, who is either not vaccinated because of ineligibility or by choice, can easily take the test, as part of the program. The test results will then be updated in the systems allotted to Green Pass by the Health Ministry, as well as with the health funds. 

From Sunday onwards, the Green Pass program will be further expanded to add even more activities and events to the list. Various locations will also be put on the list, regardless of the number of people attending an event or participating in activity there. Previously, this particular program was designed in a way to apply to only events, which had 100 people or more. 

As of now, the list of places, which will make the Green Pass mandatory, include hotels, sporting, and cultural events, workout studios, gyms, bars, restaurants, cafeterias, conferences, and cafes. In addition, synagogues permitting more than 50 people to enter for prayers will also have to abide by the Green Pass rules and regulations. Children under the age of 12 will not need to present evidence of a negative test for these events until the 20th of August. 

The MDA further explained the procedure for rapid testing. The people wanting to take it will first place a call to *3101 and take an appointment. An automated voice messaging system or a link in the text message will provide them with the date and day of the appointment. The Health Ministry guidelines added that these tests will have to be paid for by the individual wanting to take them. A spokesperson for the MDA revealed that the cost is expected to be somewhere around NIS 52.