Israel bans travel to US as omicron variant spreads
Israeli citizens are barred from traveling to the United States and more than 50 other countries without explicit permission.
Israel has banned travel to the United States and nine other countries experiencing a surge of coronavirus infections caused by the fast-spreading omicron variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced Monday that the United States along with Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey have been added to Israel’s “red list.”
The roster of more than 50 high-risk countries had already included the United Kingdom and most of Africa. This is the first time the United States has appeared on it.
The latest variant now accounts for some 50% of infections in the United States. On Sunday, US chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci warned that omicron is “going to take over” as the dominant strain this winter.
