(YWN) Israel on Tuesday, August 3, added 18 additional countries, including the U.S., to the list of countries under a severe travel warning, which means that travelers from those locations will have to enter quarantine even if vaccinated or recovered.

The quarantine period is 14 days but can be shortened to seven days with two negative PCR tests.

The restrictions will go into effect on Wednesday, August 11. The regulations only apply to those who spend more than 12 hours in the country so those passing through the “orange” countries for a connection flight will not have to quarantine.

The new ruling means that American students arriving for the new school year will be required to observe quarantine upon arrival. In light of this news, some gap-year programs are reportedly working to bring in their students before this date to avoid prolonged quarantines.

This also means that travelers from the U.S. will not be able to visit Israel for less than seven days, as they will not be permitted to leave the country while in mandatory quarantine. Serological tests are not accepted as grounds for quarantine exemption for travelers coming from high risk countries.