Aliyah from Britain and North America will continue despite Israel’s coronavirus lockdown, the Jewish Agency and Aliyah organisation Nefesh b’Nefesh organisation have said.  

A flight of 24 olim will be arriving in Israel from the US on Thursday — the first organised aliyah since coronavirus hit Israel in late February.  

Israel has moved to restrict the entry of non-Israelis into the country, requiring them to prove that they can self-quarantine at home for two weeks upon their arrival.  

It was thought that the imposition of stringent regulations on new arrivals would force the cancellation of flights for olim.  

Nefesh b’Nefesh, which is organising the flight, is an organisation that works on behalf of the Jewish Agency and the Israeli government in coordinating aliyot from Britain and North America.  

It told Haaretz that four immigrants postponed their aliyah because of the severe restrictions that the Israeli government would require of them on their arrival. Two changed the dates of their flights and arrived last week.   

On Sunday, the Jewish Agency said that it would guarantee the basic needs of all new olim without friends or family in Israel during the country’s lockdown. It will also allow them to handle all necessary paperwork remotely.

Israel is one of the counties with the highest number of coronavirus cases per capita, at 255. As of Monday, some 50,000 people are reported to be in self-quarantine.