18 countries were defined as countries whose visit there requires isolation after returning to Israel

The Ministry of Health published today (Tuesday) a list of 18 countries that it seeks to define as countries whose visit requires isolation, including those vaccinated and recovering. The Labor, Welfare and Health Committee has approved the move, and now the ministry will seek to approve it in a cabinet hearing to be convened later.
The list includes the countries of Ukraine, Italy, Iceland, Aswatini, the United States, Botswana, Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Tanzania, Greece, Malawi, Egypt, the Czech Republic, France, Cuba, Rwanda and Tunisia. The ministry will also seek to remove from this list the islands of the Seychelles, Zambia, Paraguay, Costa Rica, Uganda, Liberia, Panama and Kenya.
The Ministry of Health initially asked for the regulations to take effect on Friday, but following criticism of the short notice, it postponed the move to next Wednesday. Following the changes, the list of countries defined under this section will include a total of 42 countries. However, the ministry is interested in making a comprehensive change on the issue, and proposing to the cabinet to actually make most countries obligatory in isolation, and to exclude individual countries that will be defined as green. In this way, according to the plan, there will be no-fly countries, green countries with free access, and all the rest will be subject to an obligation to isolate.
Data presented by the Ministry of Health at the committee's discussion show, among other things, that 141 patients returned from the United States from the end of June to the end of July, constituting 0.24% of all those returning from it. Accordingly, 27 patients came from Italy, which is 0.24% of the returnees, from Germany 43 patients - 0.29%, from Greece 292 patients - 0.47%, and from France 42 patients who are 0.24% of the returnees.
The measure, which is intended to prevent, among other things, the intrusion into Israel of other strains alongside the Delta strain, comes against the background of the spread of morbidity in Israel, which has reached a record high in the current wave in the last day. This morning the Ministry of Health updated that 3,818 people were infected during this time frame.
The number of subjects was 113,723, and the verified rate was 3.78% - also a record in the fourth wave. The number of seriously ill patients climbed to 221 people, of whom 46 were respirators. A total of 6,492 patients have died since the outbreak in Israel.
Apart from the issue of flights, the discussion in the cabinet will also deal with the possibility of reducing gatherings and tightening the green label regulations. The Ministry of Health will recommend to the cabinet to tighten the green mark, so that there will be a restriction and a duty to inspect children everywhere, and not just in gatherings of more than a hundred people. However, some places like malls, libraries and parks will still not require a green label as a condition of entry. The Ministry of Health will also recommend isolation for vaccinated people who have come into contact with a verified person.