The Israeli authorities are not thinking of closing the airport, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz told the Knesset plenum on Monday.
"We are not closing the airport and we are not considering closing the airport," he said.
On Sunday, Israeli media suggested that health officials were discussing whether to recommend the move to the cabinet, together with other possible measures to limit traveling, as tens of thousands of Israelis are flying abroad despite the spike in cases due to the Delta variant in several parts of the world.
Horowitz said that lately, about 100 new cases enter the country every day through Ben-Gurion Airport, despite the fact that all passengers are required to present a negative PCR test before they board the plane.
He stressed that the government is focusing on tests and enforcement of isolation in order to avoid the virus and potentially new variants from spreading in Israel through returnees from abroad, noting that keeping the airport open is part of “living under the coronavirus routine. Maximum protection through vaccination, masks and all the tools that we have [at our disposal] but with minimum harm.”
Speaking to a press briefing, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash also confirmed that, at the moment, closing the airport is currently not an option under consideration, although it might be in the future.
However, he emphasized again that Israelis should refrain from unessential travel, warning that the list of countries under travel ban or severe travel warning might be further expanded. In both cases all returnees have to quarantine; Israelis are prohibited from visiting banned countries unless they obtain permission from the devoted special governmental committee. Those lists include some popular destinations, such as Spain, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Cyprus.
On Monday night, Channel 12 reported that health professionals are going to recommend to the coronavirus cabinet to require all travelers to isolate regardless of their country of origin or immunization status.
The cabinet is expected to meet on Wednesday.
EARLIER IN the day, Horowitz met with Economy Minister Orna Barbivay and Culture and Sport Minister Chili Tropper, and announced that he and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are going to ask the ministers to approve bringing back the Green Pass system for all gatherings with over 100 participants.
Until the end of May, a green pass was granted to all individuals who were fully vaccinated, recovered or holders of a negative coronavirus test performed in the previous 72 hours. Access to several venues and activities – including indoor restaurants, gyms and performances – was limited to green pass holders.
The Health Ministry had already recommended re-adopting the system for large gatherings last week, but the cabinet did not approve it.
Starting from Wednesday, a new “Happy Badge” system will come into effect for indoor weddings and similar events, requiring a vaccination/recovery certificate or a negative test in order to attend them. However, in light of the spike in cases, Bennett and Horowitz agree with the assessment by health experts that this move is not going to be enough.
In the upcoming days, the relevant ministers will meet with representatives of the industries to which the green pass is expected to apply.
Horowitz stressed that, at the moment, there is no intention of capping the number of people who can attend an event.
At the beginning of the government’s meeting on Monday, Bennett spoke about the COVID outbreak.
“I want to say it here clearly: The government decisions are not recommendations – they are binding: Whoever breaks them will pay,” he said, reminding the public that wearing a mask indoors, observing quarantine rules and respecting Happy Badge regulations is compulsory.
Bennett vowed that the government is working on a plan to lead Israel through the crisis in the upcoming weeks up until the beginning of the school year, and that there will not be decisions made and implemented at the last minute.
Horowitz said that the government planned to open the school year according to routine.
“Last year, Israel’s children were home more than in any other Western country,” the minister stressed. “We do not want this to happen again.”
The Education Ministry is evaluating a no-capsule plan for next year, as well as a system in which a child who becomes infected would go to isolation but not his entire class, The Jerusalem Post confirmed. Rather, anyone who was near the sick child would be administered a rapid test. Students who test negative could return to school.
It is unclear if the same rules would apply in red cities, specifically whether school would be held in full in red cities, where in previous waves older kids learned online.
A source in the education ministry stressed however, that while this is the direction of the plan, nothing has been approved yet and the public will be made aware when a final outline is established.
Horowitz also said any plan would be based on regular testing.
Some 829 new cases were registered on Sunday, with about 50,000 tests processed. As of 6 p.m. on Monday, another 915 cases were registered, suggesting the country would see another record it current outbreak, after Friday the number surpassed 1,100 out of 75,000 tests.
Meanwhile, the increase remains limited serious morbidity. As of Monday, there were 60 patients in serious conditions, six less than 24 hours earlier. Four weeks earlier the patients were 21. At the same three people succumbed to the virus on Sunday. The numbers of victims in July is already more than double that of June.
According to Ash, within two weeks Israel could see as many as 2,000 new daily cases, as well as 30 new serious patients a day shortly thereafter.