Israel to ban entry of foreigners from all countries over Omicron COVID variant

Israel is barring entry to all foreigners, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to the new and potentially more contagious Omicron coronavirus variant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said the country would use counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology in order to contain the spread of the COVID-19 variant.

He said the travel ban, pending government approval, would last 14 days.

Officials hope that by then there will be more information on how effective COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa and has been dubbed a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization.

“Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country, and that the vaccine is effective, although we don’t yet know to what degree,” Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told a local news program.

Israelis entering the country, including those who are vaccinated, will be required to quarantine, Mr Bennett said.

The ban will come into effect at midnight on Sunday local time.

A travel ban on foreigners coming from most African states was already in place.