Israel’s health ministry Sunday recommended banning Israelis from travelling to the United States, and added several European countries to its Covid “red list”, aimed at containing the Omicron variant’s spread. The Omicron variant is already here,” he told a press conference after a cabinet meeting, “and it’s spreading fast”.
Speaking earlier, Bennett reiterated that he would continue to restrict travel in order to avoid further lockdowns.He said Israel had gained “precious time” by curbing travel immediately after the Omicron variant was detected in South Africa last month.
“European countries are either in lockdown or are heading that way,” he said, stressing that for Israel “time is running out”.Bennett called on Israelis to work from home and encouraged parents to vaccinate their children.
More than 4.1 million of Israel’s estimated 9.3 million people have received three shots of a coronavirus vaccine, with the country currently giving jabs to children aged 5-11.
