ISRAEL is set to ban foreigners from entering the country for 14 days.
The ban is expected to come into effect at midnight this Sunday, following full cabinet approval.
Israel has so far confirmed one case of the potentially more infectious Omicron strain first detected in South Africa.
Many countries have since banned travel to South Africa and its neighbours.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned the new variant is “of concern”, with early evidence suggesting a higher re-infection risk.
However, the WHO has warned against countries hastily imposing travel restrictions, saying they should look to a “risk-based and scientific approach”.
Earlier on Saturday, the Israeli authorities had put 50 African nations on the “red” list.
All Israeli nationals returning from those countries must quarantine in the government-approved hotels and undergo Covid tests.
A ban on foreigners entering Israel from most African countries was imposed on Friday.
Israel has so far confirmed more than 1.3 million Covid infections since the start of the pandemic, with over 8,100 deaths, according to America’s Johns Hopkins university.
BBC