Israel will reopen its borders from Sunday (January 9), but only to returning nationals who are fully vaccinated. This applies to citizens and residents travelling from almost anywhere in the world, including South Africa, which is now on an ‘orange’ list.
Returning nationals must take a PCR test upon arrival in Israel, and quarantine for either 24 hours or until they receive a negative test result – whichever comes first.
The new rules will not apply to citizens returning from countries on Israel’s ‘red’ list, which are seen as having the highest risk of infection of COVID-19. On December 30, Israel dropped Lesotho, eSwatini, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique from the red list, with South Africa following yesterday (January 4). These countries are all now on the orange list.
The US, the UK, the UAE, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey remain on Israel's red list. Returning vaccinated nationals from these regions need special permission to enter the country.
