Coronavirus in Israel: NIS 99 tests catered to travelers launch on Sunday
AID GENOMICS is offering a more affordable solution: Results that are guaranteed within 24 hours, with an option for fast results in eight hours or less.
By ROSSELLA TERCATINPCR tests processed by AID Genomics(photo credit: AID GENOMICS)
Israelis wishing to travel abroad who must take a PCR coronavirus test before flying will be able to do so at about 30 locations across the country for NIS 99, company AID GENOMICS said on Sunday.Last Thursday, the Health Ministry announced that from June 1, travelers leaving and arriving in Israel will have to pay for their PCR tests.Regarding outbound passengers, those who are vaccinated and recovered are not required by the Health Ministry to undergo a test before leaving, but airlines, or regulations at travelers’ destinations demand to see a negative test before boarding, so there appears to be little choice but to take the test.Currently, a convenient option is the Check2Fly testing station at Ben-Gurion Airport that offers the tests for NIS 135 for results within four hours and NIS 45 for results within 14 hours. However, so far people have flocked to their health funds for free tests, although from June 1, this option will no longer be available and travelers will have to pay for their tests.Until now, private PCR tests, with the exception of those offered at the airport, could cost several hundred shekels.AID GENOMICS is offering a more affordable solution: Results that are guaranteed within 24 hours, with an option for fast results in eight hours or less, a company spokesperson said.The Rehovot-based group has operated a laboratory in Har Hotzvim in Jerusalem since November where it processes some 70,000 tests per day, which are fully recognized by the Health Ministry.The PCR tests performed by AID GENOMICS will also be able to identify coronavirus variants, a company spokesperson added.They will be offered at the Bikkur Rofeh clinics – a network of private emergency medical centers – all over the country.Tests were already available in 17 major cities from Sunday, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Beersheba and Rishon Lezion, as well as in a structure in the Shafirim parking area (next to the fast lane on Highway 1 to Tel Aviv not far from Ben-Gurion Airport.More locations will be added gradually.Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has continued to advise Israelis to refrain from non-essential travel, and starting from Monday added two more countries – Russia and Argentina – to the list of nations which Israelis cannot visit unless they obtain permission from a special government committee.Additionally, a foreign national who has been in the countries under the travel ban in the last 14 days cannot enter Israel without a special permit, while citizens returning from those countries are required to enter quarantine even if they are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.The list now includes Ukraine, Ethiopia, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico, Turkey, Russia and Argentina.
