Greece will recognize Israel’s “Green Pass” allowing Israeli tourists to enter the country without a period of self-isolation or coronavirus testing, Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday.
The new policy is expected to take effect Tuesday, and will include a weekly restriction of 10,000 Israelis entering Greece each week.
Israel has gradually reopened in recent months amid the world’s best vaccination campaign and morbidity reduction, but health officials have warned that international travel could pose dangerous viral changes introduce new ones.
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On Sunday, entry restrictions were lifted at Ben Gurion Airport, after the Supreme Court ruled a restriction of 3,000 citizens returning daily violating civil rights unfairly because of its wide and extended nature, as well as its proximity to March. 23 selections.
Israel’s land and air gates had been virtually closed since Jan. 25, leaving thousands unable to return, in an effort to curb the potential for coronavirus changes.
Israel has established a domestic “Green Pass” system that allows people who have been vaccinated or received the coronavirus to participate in a number of activities, including indoor meals, demonstrations and sporting events.
The EU, which is far behind Israel in its vaccination phase, is preparing a similar measure.
The agreement with Greece has been in the works for a short time, and Israel is expected to soon reach agreements with other countries for the recognition of the vaccine and its admission. vaccinated tourists.
Countries expected to recognize Israel’s “Green Passage” include the Arab states that Israel established diplomatic relations with last year – Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco.
Russia, Italy, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Thailand and some other states, from the EU, are expected to let Israelis vaccinate, Channel 12 reported earlier this month.
Earlier Monday, reports said Israel opened up the Taba Crossing on the Egyptian border, allowing about 350 tourists to visit the Sinai each day.
The report did not provide a timetable for when international travel could be resumed.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously discussed the adoption of green passports to allow joint travel between countries with other national leaders including Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban.
Greece and Cyrpus already have vaccine licenses for travel to and from Israel, although Israel remains largely closed to non-citizens.
According to a report in February by Army Radio, Israel was also negotiating with the UK for a contract to allow vaccinated tourists to travel between the countries, as well as Estonia.