Israel to drop compulsory COVID tests for international travelers May 8, 2022Passengers arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, Feb. 13, 2022. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)(Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)Israel to drop compulsory COVID tests for international travelers Tweet WhatsApp Email https://worldisraelnews.com/israel-to-drop-compulsory-covid-tests-for-international-travelers/ Email Print Tests will not be necessary for arrivals as of May 20.By David Hellerman, World Israel NewsAs of May 20, international travelers flying into Ben Gurion International Airport will no longer be required to test for COVID, Israel’s Health Ministry announced on Sunday.The ministry also announced that as of Thursday, travelers will be be allowed to take a rapid antigen test 24 hours before their flight.Under the current regulations, arrivals must take a test at the airport and then quarantine for either 24 hours or until they receive a negative result.The ministry attributed the change in policy to COVID’s declining spread and morbidity. The statement stressed, however, that testing could be reimplemented if necessary.Israel dropped mandatory masking in April and has not seen a corresponding rise in COVID cases.According to the latest ministry figures, there are currently 16,337 active cases of COVID in Israel, of which 132 are reported as serious. Since the outbreak, 10,741 Israelis have died of COVID.Worldwide, COVID has claimed the lives of more than 6.2 million. Read Senator slams White House for allowing US airlines to boycott flights to Israel when 'skies are safe' Ben Gurion AirportcoronavirusCOVID-19travel restrictions