Israel to resume accepting vaccinated tourists from January 9

From January 9, Israel will resume accepting tourists vaccinated against COVID-19 from most countries, with the exception of states included in the "red list". This is reported by The Times of Israel, citing a statement from the country's Ministry of Health.

Foreign travelers who have not been vaccinated or who have not yet recovered will still not be allowed to enter Israel, the publication clarifies.

In addition, the Ministry of Health recommended that Canada, France, South Africa, Hungary, Nigeria, Spain and Portugal be excluded from the “red list” of countries dangerous for COVID-19. At the same time, flights from the US and the UK are still banned.

An Israeli government source clarified to TASS that there is no decision yet on the vaccinated Russian Sputnik V. “In order to allow entry [to Israel] vaccinated with Sputnik V [tourists], the Israeli Ministry of Health is awaiting the publication of official results of a study on the effectiveness of this vaccine against the omicron strain,” he said.