“The entry of foreign nationals into Israel is prohibited, except in cases approved by a special committee,” the prime minister’s office said, saying the ban would take effect on Sunday night.
Israeli citizens will have to pass a negative test and be quarantined for three days if they have been vaccinated against Covid-19, and seven if not.
Israel opened its borders to foreign tourists just four weeks ago.
Israel already imposed a series of restrictions on Friday night when a new strain of coronavirus was detected in the country.
Scientists from the Republic of South Africa reported said on Thursdaythat a new variant of Covid-19 with a large number of mutations has been identified, which is to blame for the rapid increase in infections.
In South Africa, the worst affected country in Covid-19, the number of new infections registered in a single day has increased tenfold since the beginning of the month, from 106 to around 1,200.
In response, many countries, including the European Union (EU), have suspended flights from southern Africa.
Scientists believe the new variant may be more contagious than the Covid-19 delta or Indian variant, as well as more resistant to current Covid-19 vaccines. The 15th letter of the Greek alphabet – omicron – has been assigned to denote the new type of virus.
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