Israeli travelers returning home from countries listed by the Health Ministry as having high infection rates were given a pass from quarantine, despite tightening COVID restrictions.
According to a report by Channel 13 Monday morning, Israelis returning home Monday from countries deemed ‘red’ by the Health Ministry were tested with PCR tests at Ben Gurion International Airport – only to be notified via automatic text messages from the Health Ministry that they were exempt from quarantine.
The exemptions contradict the Health Ministry’s stated policy of mandatory requiring full isolation for all returning travelers who visited a ‘red’ country in the previous 14 days. The rule applies to both vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers.
Travelers returning from ‘red’ countries are required to either isolate at home with surveillance devices, or to remain at a government-managed isolation facility for the duration of their quarantine.
It is unclear if the quarantine exemptions issued Monday morning were the result of a technical malfunction in the Health Ministry system, or a change in policy which has yet to be formally announced.