In an interview on Channel 12 News on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Israel’s Airports Authority said that there’s a very good chance that an Israeli lab will soon have a 45-minute test for COVID-19 available to use as a “medical passport” for Israelis who want to travel abroad.
According to Channel 12, 45-minute tests are already in use in some Israeli hospitals but they are expensive (about NIS 720 ($205)), costing four times the amount of standard coronavirus tests.
Austria is already offering testing for COVID-19 at its Vienna airport to enable passengers to achieve quick results and avoid a two-week quarantine upon entering the country. Their tests currently require a three-hour wait and cost 190 euros ($209).
Israel recently participated in a meeting of an alliance of seven countries that have been successful in battling the coronavirus pandemic with the aim of participating countries opening their borders to one another to salvage their tourism industries.
The alliance is based on a suggestion made by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last month during a videoconference with the seven world leaders initiated by Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
I suppose one has to weigh $200 against 2 weeks in bidud. But if you have a family of four, it’s the price of a one way ticket on United. I think if we have private insurance they should foot the bill & if people don’t have that, they still shouldn’t pay so much. Misrad HaBriut should give a decent discount. But then again, you can’t put a price on the misery of those hotels.