ISRAEL: PCR testing system at airport set to end, no longer required

Starting on May 20, incoming travellers will no longer be required to undergo PCR tests upon landing at Ben-Gurion Airport, the Health Ministry said Sunday.

The decision to end COVID-19 testing at the airport was made in light of the decreased spread of infection and decreased morbidity and following discussions among Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and officials from the Health Ministry and the Airports Authority.

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Nevertheless, they formulated a plan that would allow for the quick implementation of either a full or partial COVID-19 testing system at the airport should the need arise.

In a statement shared via social media, Horowitz said the decision to end airport PCR testing continued the Health Ministry’s COVID-19 policy under his leadership.

“We provide all the tools to protect public health, but where there is no need and it is not necessary, we will not impose restrictions on the public,” he said.

The Health Ministry also said starting on Tuesday, foreign citizens flying into Israel will no longer be required to perform a PCR test ahead of their flights and can instead take a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of departure.

Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman Gilad Kariv (Labor) welcomed the cancellation of the PCR tests.

“In the current state of the coronavirus, one should return to a full routine while focusing on protecting specific at-risk populations,” he said Sunday on Twitter.

 

Source: jpost.com