Highlights
- Kuwait suspends direct flights from nine African countries to block Omicron
- Israel bans entry of foreigners into the country, ban will remain in force for 14 days
- Omicron spreading rapidly in Europe, a case has come to the fore in Israel so far
Kuwait on Saturday decided to suspend direct flights with nine African countries. This decision has been taken because of the new Corona variant Omicron. Kuwait’s Center for Government Communication said Kuwait would suspend direct commercial flights with South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi.
According to the report of the Xinhua news agency, Kuwaiti citizens coming from those countries will be in quarantine for 7 days from November 28 and they will have to undergo a PCR test on arrival and a second test on the sixth day. Meanwhile, non-Kuwaitis coming from those countries, whether directly or through other countries, will be barred from entering unless they have lived in a third country for at least 14 days. The government of Kuwait called on citizens to avoid traveling to the countries they currently live in, except in urgent cases.
Israel bans foreign nationals
At the same time, the Israeli government also decided on Sunday to ban the entry of foreign nationals into the country to prevent the spread of new variants of the corona. The announcement came after a late night cabinet meeting in which reinstating restrictions against the pandemic was discussed. According to Xinhua news agency, the decision to stop entry to the country for foreigners will continue for 14 days. In addition, phone-tracking technology will be used again to trace people who have to go into quarantine.
‘We are in a time of uncertainty’
Israel has so far confirmed one case of the Omicron variant which was first detected in South Africa. It has also designated 50 African countries as the Red List, which forbids Israelis from traveling to them. Israelis arriving from the continent are being forced to stay in quarantine. All Israeli citizens who have come from Africa in recent days are likely to be tested in the coming days as a precaution. Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the start of the cabinet meeting, “We are currently in a period of uncertainty.”
Vaccination of children under the age of 5 in Israel
Bennett said his goal is to maintain a functioning economy and open education system in Israel. It is believed that the new strain is more contagious than the previous one. It is not yet clear how effective the vaccines against Omicron will be. This week Israel has started immunizing children from the age of 5. Since March 2020, more than 8,100 Israelis have died from the coronavirus. There are currently over 7,000 active cases, with 120 people seriously hospitalized.
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