Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is moving to ban the entry of all foreigners into the country and to reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology in order to contain the spread of a new and potentially more contagious Covid-19 variant first detected in South Africa.
South African scientists identified the new B.1.1.529 variant – dubbed “Omicron” – on Thursday and said it had at least 10 mutations, compared with two for Delta and three for Beta variants.
Bennett’s decision, which needs government approval, would last 14 days, the premier said in a statement on Shabbos.
“We are now in a space of uncertainty,” Bennett said of the announcement in a post to Twitter, vowing to maintain “an open Israel with a functioning economy and an open education system.”
“To do this, we will need to very closely supervise the state’s borders and proceed with caution and with minimal risks,” he said in the post.
Bennett also noted that he had been in contact with the CEOs of Pfizer and Moderna pharmaceutical companies, as well as other experts and Israel’s Ministry of Health during the decision making process.
Israel, the first country to shut its borders completely over the Omicron variant, has so far confirmed one case of the variant and seven other suspected cases.
“Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told N12’s “Meet the Press” on Saturday, “and that the vaccine is effective, although we don’t yet know to what degree.”
The Shin Bet domestic security agency’s phone-tracking technology will be used to locate carriers of the new variant in order to curb its transmission to others, the premier’s office said. Middle East Eye
Chaim V’Chessed released the following statement:
he State of Israel opened its borders to vaccinated foreign tourists on November 1, after a period of more than one and a half years during which tourists were barred from entering the country. Now, just four weeks after reopening, Israel is once again slamming its borders shut to foreigners.
In response to the new Omicron variant, Israel’s Corona cabinet has decided to, once again, bar all entry by non-citizens. This new edict will be in effect for 14 days, beginning tomorrow night (between Sunday and Monday) at midnight. It is presumed that foreigners who reside in Israel (visa holders) will also be included in the ban. Hence, foreign residents of Israel who find themselves abroad at this time should consider hastening their return to Israel. Similarly, foreign residents who were intending to travel abroad for Chanuka may wish to reconsider their plans.
At this time, it is unknown if those in the air, en route to Israel at the time the ban takes effect will be permitted to enter Israel. Similarly, it is unclear if those holding Entry Permits will be allowed to travel to Israel once the ban takes effect.
In a related development, Israelis returning from abroad, even if vaccinated, will now be required to quarantine for three days upon landing. They will be allowed to exit quarantine after receiving a negative Covid result on the third day.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Wicked evil country. The US should return the favor and ban all fish dibs from entering here.