Israelis will be allowed to visit Sinai within a week — report

Israelis will be able to visit the Sinai Peninsula during next week’s Passover festival and possibly even this week, the government has agreed, according to an unsourced report by Channel 12 news.

The report says the tourism, interior and health ministries have agreed on two possible dates for the reopening of the Taba Crossing, which has been closed since the pandemic began apart from brief occasions in which Israelis were allowed to return. Egyptian authorities are also part of the talks.

One possible date is Thursday, March 25 — as demanded by the Blue and White party — and the other is the Health Ministry’s preferred date of next Monday, March 29. The ministry hopes to pass rules permitting such travel only for those who have been vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19.

The new reported rules will let up to 320 people return to Israel every day.

Travelers will have to register online and take a PCR test up to 72 hours before the trip, and another upon return. Capacity at the crossing will be limited to 50% of the usual traffic. No private vehicles will be allowed to cross.