MKs gives initial nod to bill for Eilat City

Thursday, November 12, 2020

On Tuesday, Knesset members have approved the first reading of bill that would raise few restrictions related to lockdown in two tourism hotspots. This happened a day after Health Minister, Yuli Edelstein pulled it during a plenum session in the middle of a dispute regarding its scope.

MKs voted 37-0 in favor of the bill. It aims to turn the Red Sea resort city of Eilat and a hotel zone located close to the Dead Sea into “tourist islands,” free from coronavirus restrictions so that hotels can reopen in a good way.
Both of them have seen unemployment skyrocketing, are heavily dependent on tourism, with hotels closing down as part of the lockdown procedure.

Now, the bill faces two further plenum readings before passing into law.
On Monday Edelstein pulled the legislation as voting was still on the go after lawmakers discarded an amendment he had supported that would have stopped other tourist sites from being given the special status in the future. Along with other health officials Edelstein had been requesting a slow and cautious release from the national lockdown.

The bill would let the government allow restaurants, and tourist attractions to reopen in addition to hotels in those locations after second lockdown.
Over the move, the coalition and opposition lawmakers have simultaneously criticized Edelstein.

Under the terms of the bill, the two areas will be confirmed “special tourist areas,” the Tourism Ministry made it clear in a statement in Oct after the government initially approved the bill to be sent to the Knesset.

It called the zones “green tourist islands,” a reference to a government color-coded system used to grade virus infection areas, with red being most-infected and green having the lowest rates in infection.

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