Israel and the UK, Vaccinated First, Discuss Allowing 'Travel Corridors'

Possibility of a 'Green Travel Corridor'
Israel Lifts Most Lockdown Measures
UK Completes First Dose Vaccination for Half the Population

On the 18th (local time), the first day Israel lifted the outdoor mask mandate, young people were sitting closely together without masks on the streets of Tel Aviv, chatting.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Foreign media reported on the 20th (local time) that Israel and the United Kingdom are considering allowing mutual visits by vaccinated tourists and businesspeople.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release that day, "The two countries have opened the possibility of implementing a 'green travel corridor' through significant progress in COVID-19 vaccinations."

According to the statement, Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi discussed this issue with Michael Gove, the UK Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who visited Israel to learn about COVID-19 policies. Minister Ashkenazi said, "Together with the UK, we will promote mutual vaccine certification so that tourists and businesspeople can safely return to pre-COVID-19 daily life."

However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not specify the timing or methods for implementing the 'travel corridor' between the two countries. Previously, the Israeli government announced plans to allow entry of foreign tourists who have been vaccinated starting from the 23rd of next month. The Israeli government believes that allowing tourist entry will help revive the economy, which has been depressed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Israel began vaccinations in December last year after importing the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. So far, more than 5.98 million people, over 53% of the total population (about 9.3 million), have completed two doses. Thanks to the rapid vaccination, infection-related indicators have improved quickly, leading the Israeli government to lift most lockdown measures and to remove the outdoor mask mandate starting from the 18th.

The UK, which was the first country in the world to start COVID-19 vaccinations, had completed first-dose vaccinations for about half of its total population (about 67 million), approximately 32.85 million people, by the 19th, with nearly 10 million people having received the second dose.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.