The Prime Minister of Israel, Naftali Bennett, has said that the fifth wave of infection with COVID-19 has started in Israel, the cause of the new Omicron variant.
Bennett has warned, while the Government of Israel has added the USA, Canada and several other European countries to the red list, reports the BBC.
"Three weeks ago, I warned the citizens of Israel that a new wave is coming, the Omicron wave. A day later, the COVID Committee intervened and we decided – as the first country in the world – to ban foreign nationals from entering Israel. The time we gained with early measures is running out. "Omicron is already in our country, from the Knesset (parliament) to the nursery, and it is spreading quickly," Bennett said in a televised address.
He said that the aim is to overcome this wave by continuing the economic and educational activity as much as possible. He called on people to maintain social distance, wear masks, work from home and vaccinate their children.
Israel has recorded 134 confirmed cases of Omicron and another 307 are suspected.
From Tuesday, Israelis will be banned from traveling to the US, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey without obtaining a permit. Great Britain was added to the list last week.
