Jerusalem, Aug 2 (IANS): Israel will resume international flights on August 16, Minister of Transport Miri Regev announced.

As the number of COVID-19 patients in critical condition has not increased sharply, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently approved the resumption of international flights, reports Xinhua news agency.

Regev said on Saturday that the Israel Airports Authority is already preparing to resume flights, including the setup of a rapid 20-to-30-minute coronavirus testing array.

She noted that passengers arriving in Israel from countries with low morbidity would not have to enter quarantine.

In June, Netanyahu estimated that the reopening of Israeli skies to flights would be on August 1.

However, the number of new daily coronavirus cases has since jumped from a few dozen to more than 2,000, which had delayed the plan.

On July 20, Israel extended flight restrictions until at least September 1.

The restrictions ban the entry of foreigners into Israel, excluding exceptional cases approved by the Population and Immigration Authority under the 14-day quarantine obligation.