Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz says authorities are working with the Transportation Ministry to expand coronavirus testing at Ben Gurion airport, after a Friday influx of passengers overwhelmed staff there and thousands were allowed to leave without being tested.
He says the ministry is demanding more testers be hired and that the airport set aside more room for testing.
“The lines are already shorter, but that’s not enough. We need to shorten them in a better way, and especially to ready for the expected rush at the airport during the summer months,” he says.
Travelers at the Ben Gurion International Airport, on June 20, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/FLASH90)
He adds that “very high” fines will be levied on anyone who travels to restricted countries.
Horowitz also advises the public to not get too worked up about a rise in new coronavirus cases in recent days.
“There’s no need for unnecessary pressure,” he says.
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