Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport will close completely from midnight on Monday until the end of the month. The cabinet approved this in a meeting today. Cargo planes from abroad are allowed to continue to land in Israel. Flights for medical assistance and firefighting can also proceed. Travelers themselves cannot enter or leave the country, except in cases approved by a special commission.
The ban on entering Israel is also for the new immigrants making aliyah. Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata opposed during the cabinet meeting. The restrictions also apply to Israeli airlines. An exception can only be made for arriving and departing travelers in very special cases. With the ban, the country hopes to prevent a further spread of the corona virus. The measure will be in effect until the end of January, when the national lockdown must also end.
We are closing off our airspace, with a few exceptions, to prevent the virus mutations from entering, and also to ensure that we make rapid progress on our vaccination campaign so that more Israelis are vaccinated soon
The closure of the airspace will end on January 31, when the current strict lockdown will also end. After the government's decision announced El Al said it would allow its customers who bought tickets until February 15 to cancel them and receive a refund, Israeli media said.
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