coronavirus testing

An arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, on November 28, 2021, heads to a mandatory COVID test. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

May 3, 2022, 8:31 pm

Israel said expected to soon scrap mandatory airport COVID tests for arrivals

Reports say requirement to take test, which travelers must pay for themselves, could be dropped at start of June

By TOI staff

Medical technicians test passengers for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion Airport, on March 8, 2021. (Flash90)

April 26, 2022, 8:51 pm

Second new Omicron subvariant detected among travelers — ministry

First 2 cases of BA.5 reported in Israel; ministry also announces another infection from BA.4 subvariant, both of which are spreading in South Africa

By TOI staff

A medical technician tests a traveler for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion Airport, on June 30, 2021. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

April 26, 2022, 2:37 pm

Health Ministry says new COVID variant not raising alarms yet

Knesset committee told officials will meet in coming weeks to discuss lifting further restrictions, including quarantine for positive cases

By TOI staff

A technician collects swab samples for COVID-19 at Ben Gurion International Airport on March 2, 2022. (Yossi Aloni/ Flash90)

April 25, 2022, 10:43 pm

Health Ministry: 3 cases of new Omicron subvariant detected among arrivals in Israel

Passengers from South Africa, Singapore and Italy found to be infected with BA.4; Health Minister Horowitz says no reason to worry at this time

By TOI staff

April 23, 2022, 11:52 pm

Former COVID czar calls for end to airport tests for arrivals

Prof. Ronni Gamzu says that checks are irrelevant now, find only ‘small percentage’ of daily infections

By TOI staff

A sign for the Food and Drug Administration is seen in Silver Spring, Maryland, on December 10, 2020. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

April 15, 2022, 7:47 am

In first, US authorities authorize COVID breathalyzer test

FDA says InspectIR device can provide results in less than 3 minutes, has over 90 percent accuracy in identifying samples as negative or positive

By AP

People get tested for COVID-19 at a testing center at Habima square in Tel Aviv on January 4, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

March 21, 2022, 10:23 am

Daily COVID cases rise to over 12,000 for first time in nearly a month

Transmission rate climbs to 1.23 but serious cases still steady, amid fears of resurgent pandemic

By TOI staff

Arriving travelers at Ben Gurion Airport on December 19, 2021. (Flash90)

February 20, 2022, 6:38 pm

Israel to open to unvaccinated tourists starting March 1

Under new plan, tourists must submit to pre- and post-flight PCR tests, but returning Israelis will no longer need to show a negative COVID test before flying home

By TOI staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) listens to French President Emmanuel Macron during their meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on February 7, 2022. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)

February 18, 2022, 2:33 pm

Are DNA hacking fears behind leaders opting for Putin’s long table over COVID tests?

The worries are likely farfetched, but experts say bad actors could potentially generate a genetic scandal, not a presidential clone

By Mallika Sen

February 13, 2022, 11:46 pm

Rapid PCR tests at Ben Gurion Airport will soon offer results in 4 hours — report

Channel 12 says optional fast coronavirus tests, just as reliable as regular ones, will cost double the price and allow shorter quarantine for arrivals

By TOI staff

A worker in the COVID ward of Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem on February 9, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

February 10, 2022, 12:55 pm

Serious cases, transmission rate fall further as Omicron ebbs

1,123 hospitalized in serious condition; 36,835 new cases diagnosed Wednesday, bringing active cases to 324,802

By TOI staff

Medical staff wearing safety gear as they work in the coronavirus ward of Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem on January 20, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

February 9, 2022, 6:05 pm

Serious COVID-19 cases continue to decline as Omicron further ebbs

Health official says exit from latest wave likely to take weeks; 1,161 hospitalized in serious condition; transmission rate drops to 0.79 — lowest since October

By TOI staff

An illustration of a COVID-19 rapid antigen home test kit in Jerusalem on January 9, 2022. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

February 7, 2022, 4:00 pm

Officials say two-thirds of students are not submitting home COVID test results

Health Ministry official calls statistic ‘disturbing,’ but Education Ministry official claims plan is working

By Amy Spiro

Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, on January 4, 2022. (Arie Leib Abrams/ Flash90)

January 30, 2022, 9:42 pm

Report: Israel mulls ending negative COVID test requirement before incoming flights

Health officials reportedly say that change to travel restrictions could be made in 1-2 weeks, when coronavirus morbidity is expected to decline further

By TOI staff

An illustrative photo of rapid antigen home kit tests for coronavirus, on January 9, 2022. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

January 18, 2022, 3:13 pm

Mass distribution of free rapid COVID tests to begin next week

Israelis to receive 25-30 million antigen kits, with some earmarked for the elderly, schools and most vulnerable

By TOI staff