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JERUSALEM – Israel says it will soon reopen its doors to foreign tourist groups – even as it battles one of the highest rates of coronavirus infections in the world.
The country’s tourism ministry said on Sunday it would start allowing organized tour groups in the country from September 19.
Tourists will need to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, present a negative PCR test before their flight, and undergo both PCR and serological tests upon arrival. Visitors should quarantine themselves at their hotels until test results come back – a process that shouldn’t take more than 24 hours.
Tourists from a handful of “red” countries with high infection rates – including Turkey and Brazil – will not be allowed to visit at this time.
Israel launched a similar program in May after immunizing most of its population earlier this year. But the program was put on hold in August as the delta variant began to spread.
In recent weeks, the country has started giving boosters to anyone vaccinated more than five months ago. The campaign has shown signs of controlling the Delta epidemic, allowing the government to begin allowing tourists to return.
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MORE ON THE PANDEMIC:
– Two anchors of the end of the COVID safety net, affecting millions of people in the United States
– Miami teenager’s football game in honor of father who died of COVID
– Germany requests injections of vaccines; warns of COVID-19 outbreak in fall
– Florida faces deadliest phase of pandemic to date
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– Find more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic and https://apnews.com/hub/coronvirus-vaccine
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HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS:
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert says he believes COVID-19 vaccine booster delivery can begin September 20 for Americans who have received doses of Pfizer, while Moderna could end up being rolled out a few weeks later.
Dr Anthony Fauci told CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday that the Biden administration was “in some ways” considering starting third doses the week of September 20, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
The administration had hoped that the Pfizer and Moderna recalls would be rolled out at that time. But Fauci said it’s “conceivable” that for Moderna there could be “at most a few weeks, a few weeks of delay, if at all,” as the company provides more data to the FDA on the efficacy. recall.
On August 18, President Joe Biden introduced the boosters as protection against the more transmissible delta variant of the virus, and said Americans should consider getting a booster eight months after their second injection.
Ron Klain, Biden’s chief of staff, said on Sunday that the administration has always made it clear that September 20 is a target date and that “no one will get recalls until the FDA says they are. approved “.
Klain told CNN, “We’re good to go once science tells us to go.”
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ROME – Italy’s Health Minister has indicated that a meeting of his G-20 counterparts could result in a commitment to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines reach everyone in poor countries.
Minister Roberto Speranza told reporters on Sunday, after the opening session of the two-day meeting in Rome, that he hoped the rally would result in a “pact” on the challenge of bringing vaccines to everyone , including the most vulnerable populations.
Speranza lamented that there is a deep divide between the richest and the poorest countries when it comes to vaccine distribution. He expressed optimism that the gathering of the Group of 20 nations would result in a resolution “so that the vaccine is everyone’s right and not just a privilege for a few”.
Italy currently holds the rotating presidency of the G-20. Speranza also held separate meetings with the British, Indian and Russian health ministers. On the eve of the rally, Speranza tweeted that “only by working together can we ensure a more equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.”
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LONDON – The UK government has confirmed that it plans to introduce vaccine passports for nightclubs and large-scale gatherings from next month.
Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said on Sunday that authorities plan to start certification measures from the end of September, when the entire population over 18 was offered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Zahawi told Sky News it was “the right thing to do” to make sure the economy stays open. Lawmakers and businesses, however, have criticized the measure as divisive and said it could lead nightclubs in cases of discrimination.
“The best thing to do is work with the industry to make sure they can open safely and in a long-term sustainable way, and the best way to do that is to check the status of the vaccines,” did he declare.
The plans mean that people who wish to enter nightclubs and other large-scale events will need to prove that they have received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine.
Scotland frontman Nicola Sturgeon said earlier this week that passports for vaccines will be required for nightclubs and major events from the end of the month as Scotland faces a spike in infections.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The Kingdom of Bahrain has authorized a third booster of Russia’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine for anyone over the age of 18 who received their second dose at least six months ago.
The country’s coronavirus task force is encouraging residents who have received the Sputnik jab to sign up for the extra dose. Already, the government has rolled out Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots to people six months after receiving two shots of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine.
The Middle Eastern island nation is one of the world leaders in per capita inoculations, relying heavily on Sinopharm’s shot. Daily infections in the 1.6 million country have fallen sharply from peaks reached a few months ago and now hover around 100 new cases per day.
The country, which has recorded more than 272,900 infections, is also producing the Sputnik V vaccine to meet demand in the Middle East and North Africa.
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JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has said the government’s COVID-19 booster vaccination campaign will allow the country to avoid a complete lockdown during the upcoming Jewish holiday season.
Religious and secular Israelis celebrate the Jewish New Year Rosh Hashanah on Monday evening. Jews will also mark the fasting day of Yom Kippur and the week-long Sukkot feast in the coming weeks.
The holiday season is marked by traditional family reunions as well as crowded services in synagogues. The government urged families to avoid large gatherings. And prayers at the synagogue will be limited to small groups of vaccinated people.
Bennett told his cabinet on Sunday that unvaccinated children should not be brought into synagogues.
Last year, the holiday season brought an increase in coronavirus infections which resulted in a complete lockdown.
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BERLIN – The German Disease Control Agency says more than 4 million people have contracted the coronavirus in the country since the start of the pandemic.
The Robert Koch Institute reported 4,005,641 cases on Sunday. The actual number of cases is probably much higher because many infections go unnoticed. The institute said 92,346 people have died from COVID-19 in Germany.
Senior health officials have urged more citizens to get vaccinated.
More than 61% of the German population, or 50.9 million people, are fully vaccinated, but this is less than in other European countries. The daily vaccination rate has been dropping for weeks.
The German disease control agency reported 10,835 new cases of COVID-19 on Saturday. This is against 10,303 a week ago.
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OLYMPIA, Washington – Days after filing a lawsuit to block what is believed to be one of the country’s toughest COVID-19 vaccine mandates, the state’s largest union Washington announced a tentative deal for Governor Jay Inslee’s order for state workers.
The Northwest News Network reports that the Washington State Federation of Employees has negotiated terms of Inslee’s tenure that all 46,000 members of his union must be fully immunized by October 18 or lose their jobs.
The new agreement, which has yet to be ratified, was announced on Saturday and sets out the process of religious and medical exceptions and exemptions for employees who cannot or do not want to be vaccinated.
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FRANKFORT, Ky. – Democratic Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has announced he is calling the state’s Republican-led legislature for a special session to shape pandemic policies as the state battles an increase record number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The return of lawmakers to the State Capitol begins Tuesday and marks a dramatic power shift in coronavirus-related policymaking in Bluegrass State following a landmark court ruling.
Since the pandemic hit Kentucky, the governor has mostly acted unilaterally in setting statewide virus policies, but the state Supreme Court has transferred those rulings to the legislature.
“Now, much of that burden will fall on the General Assembly,” Beshear said on Saturday. “He will have to carry a lot of that weight to face unpopular choices and make decisions that balance many things, including the possible life and death of our citizens. “
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