Israel’s Tourism Ministry has announced a further delay in allowing entry of visitors inoculated against the coronavirus with Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine.
Such tourists were originally to be allowed into the country beginning Monday, November 15 – but that date was pushed off until December 1.
In addition, those vaccinated with Sputnik V are still required to undergo a serological test to confirm the presence of antibodies against COVID-19.
Neither the World Health Organization nor the European Medicines Agency approved the Russian vaccine.
Sputnik V, produced beginning August 20, has been approved in some 70 countries around the world.
Israel nevertheless delayed acceptance of the vaccine; it was only last month that a decision was made to allow Russian tourists to visit the country following a meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin.