Travelers from Abroad Can Quarantine at Home

Israel has again modified its entry rules to prevent spread of the coronavirus: travelers from abroad will now be permitted to self-quarantine at home for 14 days after arrival, rather than being required to check into an isolation hotel.

Defense Minister Naftali Bennett announced the change Sunday night on Twitter, although the government had not made it official yet.

The government also decided on Sunday evening to reopen public parks and open air fitness areas in a further easement of coronavirus restrictions, Kan 11 reported.

Meanwhile, the death toll from the coronavirus in Israel reached to 252, following five deaths attributed to the disease during the day, according to the Health Ministry.

No details were immediately provided on the fatalities.

There were 24 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed Sunday, bringing the country’s total to 16,477. Additionally, 127 people recovered from the virus, bringing the number of those currently sick down to 4,795.

The Health Ministry said further that 74 people were in serious condition from the virus, 65 of them on ventilators. Another 47 were in moderate condition.

There was a marked drop in the number of coronavirus tests conducted on Sunday. After the daily number had consistently been over 8,000 for a week, there were only 2,982 tests on Sunday.

Israel has ramped up its lab capacity to process tests for up to 15,000 people for COVID-19 every day, but demand has gone down, along with a declining number of cases reported.