Israel announces that it is banning the entry of all travelers from countries due to the emergence of the Omicron variant.
Israel became the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant.
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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban will last for 14 days.
Health officials hope that by that time there will be enough information on the variant.
“Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said in a briefing.
Israelis entering the country will also be required to undergo mandatory quarantine even if they are fully vaccinated.
Official added that the Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency’s phone-tracking technology will be used to locate carriers of the new variant in order to curb its transmission to others.
Israel has so far detected one case of Omicron and seven other suspected cases. (TDT)
