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from: JOSEPH KRAUSS, Associated Press
Posted: Nov 26, 2021 / 10:16 AM CST
Updated: 11/26/2021 / 10:16 AM CST
A man speaking out against coronavirus vaccine mandates, wearing a mask modified to make a testimony, poses with a toy sheep and oversized syringe while on a crowded train in Jerusalem before Shabbat, Friday, November 26, 2021 moves. Israel’s prime minister says it is “on the cusp of an emergency” after authorities discover the first case of a new variant of the country’s coronavirus in a traveler who has returned from Malawi. (AP Photo / Maya Alleruzzo)
JERUSALEM (AP) – Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Friday Israel was “on the cusp of an emergency” after authorities discovered the country’s first case of a new variant of coronavirus and blocked travel to and from most African countries.
The Ministry of Health said it had discovered the new strain in a traveler who had returned from Malawi and was investigating two other suspected cases. The three people who were all vaccinated were isolated.
A new variant of coronavirus has been discovered in South Africa, which scientists believe is of concern because of its high number of mutations and its rapid spread among young people in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province.
At a cabinet meeting called Friday to discuss the new variant, Bennett said it is more contagious and is spreading faster than the Delta variant. He said authorities are still collecting information on whether vaccines are bypassed or more deadly.
“We are currently on the cusp of an emergency,” he said. “I ask everyone to be prepared and to work fully around the clock.”
The government later said that all countries in sub-Saharan Africa would be considered “red countries” from which foreigners would be denied entry to Israel. Israelis are forbidden to visit these countries and those who return from them face a period of isolation.
The Israeli military will work to track down everyone who has been in red countries in the past week and instruct them to go into isolation during the tests, it said.
Israel launched one of the world’s first and most successful vaccination campaigns late last year, and nearly half of the population received a booster vaccination. Israel recently expanded the campaign to include children aged 5 and over.
But only recently has the country managed to contain a wave of infections fueled by the highly contagious Delta variant.
Israel, with a population of more than 9 million, has reported at least 8,182 deaths since the pandemic began. There are currently more than 7,000 active cases, including 120 seriously ill, according to the Ministry of Health.
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