TORONTO — As of March 1, 2022 Israel will welcome all tourists, vaccinated and unvaccinated, of all ages with an ease of entry restrictions.

The news comes after a Feb. 20 meeting between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, with the participation of Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov. Given Israel’s steady decline in the morbidity data, it was decided to open the skies to incoming foreign tourism and significantly ease coronavirus restrictions.

Starting March 1, visitors of all ages will be permitted to enter Israel, vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, subject to two negative PCR tests (one prior to departure and the second after landing in Israel). Visitors will then be required to quarantine in their hotel until they receive the result of a negative PCR or 24 hours – whichever comes first.  There will not be an option of a lab-based antigen test.

Says Gal Hana, Consul for Tourism and Director for Canada’s representative Israel Ministry of Tourism office: “ We are very optimistic about these first steps to a broader opening of the expected floodgates for international tourist arrivals to Israel. Measures and other COVID-19 protocols in Israel continue to be dissolved for our local population, as they are in countries around the globe, thus the easing of entry requirements for Canadians and other travellers from abroad.”