Passengers on an El Al flight from New York to Tel Aviv will be tested for the coronavirus on the plane itself or before boarding on Thursday to speed up procedures upon arrival in Israel, where infections are on the rise.

The Israeli airline announced the plan a day after Israel said travelers from the United States, like those from many other countries, would have to self-isolate for at least a week after landing at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion airport.

The PCR tests for the El Al passengers will be conducted in coordination with Israel's Health Ministry and the Femi and Xpres Check companies that have testing labs at New York's John F. Kennedy airport and Ben-Gurion, the airline said. Representatives of the companies, rather than the carrier's crew, will administer the tests on the flight.