Medical staff work at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ward at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, in Jerusalem January 31, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 News – Israel on Tuesday ended its state of emergency in place since the start of the Covid pandemic two years ago, lifting nearly all health restrictions as the omicron outbreak continues to recede.

The country is under a “special health situation” for the next three months, indicating a return to a regular routine and limiting the government’s authority to introduce new coronavirus regulations.

Notably, travel restrictions have been eased.

As of Tuesday morning, both vaccinated and unvaccinated visitors of all ages are allowed entry with the only requirement a negative PCR test before boarding the flight to Israel and another PCR test upon arrival. Foreign tourists will need to quarantine in their hotel for 24 hours or until a negative result is received, whichever comes first.

Israeli citizens can now travel to any country and only need to take a PCR test upon their return. Unvaccinated Israelis no longer have to quarantine as long as their PCR test results are negative.

The Green Pass digital certificate showing proof of vaccination or recovery is only required to enter old age homes going forward. The pass was previously necessary to enter public places such as shopping malls and movie theaters, but was gradually rolled back as cases declined.

On March 10, schoolchildren in Israel will no longer have to take weekly Covid tests.

However, the requirement for wearing masks in enclosed spaces is still in effect.

The canceling of most Covid restrictions comes as the fifth wave fueled by the omicron variant continues its downward trend.

Israel’s Health Ministry on Tuesday registered 8,372 new cases out of 68,681 tests administered to check for the virus, for a positive test percentage of 12.19%.

The number of serious cases on Tuesday stood at 582, with 254 critical and 215 on artificial ventilators.

There are 72,270 active Covid patients in the country.