Entry of vaccinated tourists postponed to August.

(Yeshiva World News) The Igud of Foreign Yeshivos & Seminaries, headed by Rabbi Nechemia Malinowitz, published a letter this week with preliminary guidance for institutions receiving students from abroad, the Chaim V’Chessed organization reported.

The Igud wrote that students who wish to enter Israel for Elul must be vaccinated or recovered, with recovered students required to present a positive PCR test, something that many U.S. residents lack.

Recovered patients who don’t have a positive PCR test will not be approved for entry even if they have a letter from a doctor or a positive antibody test.

The Igud staff is working to extend approval to those who have antibodies but lack a positive PCR test and do not wish to vaccinate. However, at this time, those who fall into this category will need to wait for a final answer about their approval to enter Israel.

Students who aren’t vaccinated or recovered will not be allowed entry into Israel.

Tourists from countries with high morbidity, including Argentina, Brazil, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa, will only be authorized to enter Israel under special circumstances, such as the parents of a chassan or kallah.

In response to the current heightened concern in Israel regarding the Delta variant, on Wednesday morning, June 23, it was announced that Prime Minister Bennett’s government had decided to postpone the opening of Israel’s borders and the entry of vaccinated tourists until August, as Israel faces an increase in coronavirus cases.

Vaccinated tourists were originally supposed to be allowed into the country starting on July 1. In recent days, the country has been hit by the Delta variant, causing an increase in infections in cities like Modi’in and Binyamina. At the moment, some 200 students and 20 teachers in Israel have tested positive for the virus.