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Covid-19: Israel restricts travel to southern Africa

JERUSALEM – Israel announced on Thursday (Nov. 25) it was barring its citizens from travelling to South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini by adding these nations to Israel’s “red”, or highest-risk list, also banning the entry of foreigners from the region, citing the detection by South African scientists of a new COVID-19 variant.

Israelis are banned from travelling to countries on the “red” list unless they receive special permission from Israel’s health ministry.

In a statement announcing the measures, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office said citizens of the seven southern African nations would not be eligible to enter Israel.

Israelis returning home from those countries would be required to spend between 7-14 days in a quarantined hotel after arrival.

The variant – called B.1.1.529 – has a “very unusual constellation” of mutations, which are concerning because they could help it evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible, scientists told reporters at a news conference in South Africa. 

South Africa has confirmed around 100 specimens as B.1.1.529, but the variant has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong, with the Hong Kong case a traveller from South Africa.