JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel will ban all abroad passengers flights from Monday evening for a week to curb the spread of new coronavirus variants.
“Other than rare exceptions, we’re closing the sky hermetically to forestall the entry of the virus variants and in addition to ensuring that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned in public remarks at the start of a cabinet meeting.
The ban will come into force from Monday at 2200 GMT and last till end of January, an announcement from Netanyahu’s office mentioned.
The nation’s borders have largely been closed to foreigners throughout the pandemic, with only Israeli passport holders allowed entry.
Also on Sunday, Israel expanded its fast vaccination drive to incorporate late teens. The vaccines had been initially restricted to the aged and other high-risk categories, however are now accessible to anyone over 40 or – with parental permission – these between 16 and 18.
The inclusion of late teens is supposed “to enable their return (to school) and the orderly holding of exams,” the Education Ministry spokeswoman mentioned.
Israel awards matriculation certificates to high school students in grades 10-12 who pass exams, administered by the Education Ministry, that play a major role in acceptance to universities. They will also affect placement within the military, where many Israelis do compulsory service after high school
Israel has the world’s fastest vaccine distribution rate. With regular imports of Pfizer Inc. vaccines, it has administered a minimum of one dose to more than 25% of its 9 million population since Dec. 19, the Health Ministry says.
The nation has been under a 3rd nationwide lockdown since Dec. 27, which it plans to lift by end of January. Critics say the government has mishandled the disaster, missing a clear long-term strategy and permitting politics to cloud its decisions.
