Did you ditch that #travelgoal to spend Christmas in the Holy Land due to pandemic last year?
Well, look now! The Israel Embassy in Manila has announced that Israel is now allowing Filipinos and other foreigners to travel to Israel as long as they are vaccinated for the past six months.
Israel is one of the countries which does not require tourist visas to Philippine passport holders. Filipino tourists can stay for as long as 90 days.
Like many countries, Israel imposed travel restrictions on foreigners since the start of pandemic last March 2020.
Starting November 1 this year, Israel has opened its borders for foreigners for the first time since the pandemic started.
Foreign tourists from countries classified as moderate to low-risk will be allowed entry if they are fully vaccinated and their second dose wasadministered within the last six months.
Israel only allows those who were vaccinated with Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johson, Sinovac, Sinopharm and Serum Institute of India. Those who were vaccinated with Sputnik V of Russia will also be allowed entry but they need to comply with additional requirements.
Since Israel listed the Philippines under Yellow List or low-risk countries, Filipino tourists need only to self-isolate for 24 hours or until rthe esult of the RT-PCR test comes out, whichever comes first.
Also, 72 hours prior to their flight, Filipino tourists from the Philippines also need to undergo RT-PCR test and submit the negative result upon boarding the plane.
There are approximately 30,000 Filipino tourists who visit Israel in 2019, the year before the pandemic. On top of that, there are around 28,000 Filipinos who are working in Israel, mostly as caregivers.