Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz came to an agreement with his Director-General, Prof. Nachman Ash, and other senior Ministry officials, including Head of Public Health Service Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, and Prof. Salman Zarka, Head of Magen Israel (Chief COVID-19 Officer), and it was finally decided not to extend the mask mandate on international flights.
Therefore, as of May 23 at midnight (Israel time), wearing masks will no longer be required on flights to and from Israel, subject to the Knesset approval.
This decision comes just days before Israel removes another major COVID restriction on May 21: no more obligatory PCR tests upon entry into Israel, both for Israelis and foreign travelers.
In its announcement, the Ministry of Health stated that following the decrease in morbidity, starting May 21 at midnight (Israel time), “The PCR testing mandate for those entering Israel at airports and maritime and land border crossings will be lifted.”
Moreover, “it will not be required to present a negative result on a COVID test before boarding a flight to Israel or a cruise to Israel or before arriving at an Israeli land border crossing,” and “it will not be required to present a negative result on a COVID test before boarding a cruise departing Israel.”
However, passengers must still fill out an Entry Statement Form up to 48 hours before boarding a flight or vessel bound for Israel.
