How did Omer Adam enter Israel without Exceptions Committee approval?
Instead of following airport instructions, Adam had a mobile testing service come to the airport, so that he could have a test administered to prove that he didn't need to enter quarantine.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFIsraeli singer Omer Adam performs live at the annual Kleizmer Festival in the northern Israeli city of Tzfat, on August 14, 2019.(photo credit: DAVID COHEN/FLASH 90)
Two days before Israelis were officially permitted to enter Israel at higher numbers, and without official approval from the governmental exceptions committee, household-name Israeli singer Omer Adam passed through Ben-Gurion Airport, a new Ynet report has found.Sunday marked the first day of the partial reopening plan for Ben-Gurion Airport, under which 1,000 Israelis will be able to enter the country daily. That number is expected to increase to 3,000 within the next few days.Isolation post-flight is still required, but can be done at home — there is no more requirement for coronavirus hotels.Adam entered the country without approval from the exceptions committee, before this new plan went into effect, on Friday.According to the Ynet report, Adam was required at the time to isolate in a coronavirus hotel, as government policy stipulated.He presented a foreign document that stated that he had contracted COVID-19 and healed. That document is not legally recognized in Israel, and should not have prevented him from going into quarantine.Israeli law states that if one can present a document issued from a recognized hospital stating that they had contracted COVID-19 and now have antibodies, they can avoid quarantine when coming into contact with a confirmed patient.This process is similar to what a Green Passport can do for its holders.Airport authorities directed Adam to the Hotel Metropolitan in Tel Aviv, which was being used a coronavirus hotel, the Ynet report continued.Instead of following those instructions, Adam had a mobile testing service come to the airport, so that he could have a test administered to prove that he didn't need to enter quarantine.Airport authorities refused that request, insisting that he head out to his hotel, and have the test administered there, as he had no authority to remain at the airport for the amount of time it would take to receive the results.Rossella Tercatin and Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman contributed to this report.
