The flights shall be banned for per week as the federal government tries to curb the unfold of variants and shield the vaccination marketing campaign.
Israel on Sunday introduced a week-long ban on most inbound and outbound flights in a bid to sluggish the unfold of latest variants of the novel coronavirus.
The measure will start at midnight (22:00 GMT) Monday by way of Tuesday and can stay in impact till the next Sunday, in response to a press release from the prime minister’s workplace.
Exceptions shall be made for cargo flights and firefighting, in addition to journeys for medical remedy, funerals and authorized procedures.
A panel of Inside and Well being Ministry officers might situation waivers upon request “for humanitarian or private wants,” the assertion stated.
The choice got here with the nation in its third nationwide coronavirus lockdown, began in late December and prolonged on Tuesday till the tip of the month attributable to a rise in deaths from COVID-19.
Earlier on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had introduced his authorities’s intention to shut the airport, after variants of the coronavirus had been detected among the many rising numbers.
“We’re closing the heavens hermetically, with uncommon exceptions, to stop the entry of virus mutations and to make sure that we transfer rapidly with our vaccination marketing campaign,” he stated earlier than a cupboard assembly.
Swab samples are already being taken from passengers arriving at Tel Aviv airport. Now Israel has banned inbound and outbound flights for per week, stepping up efforts to curb the unfold of COVID-19 and its new variants. [Jack Guez/AFP]
Later, the Well being Ministry introduced that it had recognized instances of a variant of the coronavirus originating in Los Angeles.
“Within the central virus laboratory of the Ministry of Well being, a Los Angeles variant has been situated by way of a sequencing course of,” the ministry stated in a press release.
“The individual confirmed to have this variant has contaminated 4 different individuals.”
South African and British variants have additionally been present in Israel.
For the reason that vaccines had been launched final month, greater than 2.5 million of Israel’s 9 million individuals have been vaccinated, in response to the Well being Ministry.
On Saturday, Israel started vaccinating youngsters between the ages of 16 and 18, who should sit for ultimate exams in highschool.
Adi Cohen, 18, instructed the AFP information company on Sunday that he “had no selection” however to get the vaccine.
“I’ve my ultimate exams in a number of weeks, so I really feel like I ought to take them,” he stated from a Jerusalem clinic.
For 17-year-old Shai Ohaion, receiving the jab will permit her to get near her dad and mom once more.
“I got here to get vaccinated so I haven’t got extra social distance at dwelling. I can not be near my dad and mom as they’re susceptible, which makes the state of affairs tough, ”he stated.
“I got here to help these efforts to finish the coronavirus.”
