Knesset Expands List of Red Countries Requiring Full Quarantine of Returning Passengers

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July 20, 2021, 10 AM ET

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By a 29 to 0 majority, the Knesset Plenum on Monday approved an amendment to the Public Health Ordinance that expands the list of countries requiring full quarantine for all returnees, including travelers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who have recovered from the disease. According to the health ministry, as of Monday night, there are 1,372 new verified Corona patients in Israel, based on 74,186 tests. As of Tuesday morning, Israeli hospitals reported 62 Corona patients in serious condition, 10 of whom are on respirators. 6,451 have died in Israel since the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020. With a population of roughly 9 million, Israel boasts 5,747,027 individuals (63.85%) who received the first dose of the vaccine, 5,245,999 (58.28%) the second. In accordance with Amendment No. 36 to the Public Health Ordinance, the following countries have been added to the list in alphabetical order:

Belarus
Bolivia
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Ethiopia
Guatemala
Honduras
Kyrgyzstan
Namibia
Paraguay
Seychelles
Tunisia
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Zambia
Zimbabwe

The above countries were added to those that were already on the red list:

Brazil
India
Mexico
Spain
South Africa
Russia

The quarantine requirement will not apply to returning individuals who spent less than 12 hours at an airport in one of the countries on the list. Violation of the quarantine requirement constitutes a criminal offense.