The count is not complete of the many Israelis abroad who are returning to their country right now, but the trend is clear. According to the Interior Ministry's Population and Immigration Authority, more and more Israelis who have been abroad for a long time are returning to Israel due to the novel coronavirus. Some 550,000 Israelis returned in February and March. About 15% of them, around 80,000 people, had spent an extended period abroad. That last group is growing, reaching more than 30% in April.

To understand the significance of this trend, it is useful to divide the returnees into four groups: First we have the students studying abroad, returning because their studies were discontinued over the pandemic. Then there are the backpackers — young Israelis who traditionally take several months after their army service to see the world. There are also Israelis who had relocated, moved abroad for periods of one to three years for work or study. Finally, there are the emigrants who had lived abroad for many years.

The post-military backpackers have returned for three reasons: concern over sub-standard medical care abroad, mainly in developing countries; parental pressure to come home while the virus is raging across the globe; and pressure to leave from local authorities in Thailand, South America and other places.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry mobilized to bring back the backpackers, even funding some flights. Upon arrival, thousands of them were put up in hotels for quarantine at the expense of the state. The government made great efforts to bring home those who found themselves in especially far-off places such as Columbia, Costa Rica, Peru and India.