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Jerusalem:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday Israel will significantly reduce entry of foreign nationals into the country in an effort to keep out a new, more infectious novel coronavirus strain.
“We’ve obtained a brand new pandemic spreading, with a virus we do not actually find out about. This mutation may very well be a coronavirus two,” Netanyahu said during a tree-planting ceremony in Jerusalem.
“Therefore, we’ve carried out the choice to shut Israel’s skies,” he added.
The announcement came a day after the government barred entry to foreigners travelling from Britain, Denmark and South Africa, where the new coronavirus strain was detected.
Netanyahu said most foreigners would not be allowed entry, “apart from exceptions, equivalent to diplomats”, without providing further details.
Officials in the premier’s office, the airport authority and the immigration authority said there were no specifics available yet on the new measures.
“This determination is legitimate, as of now, for ten days, with the opportunity of being prolonged,” Netanyahu said.
“I do know it is a powerful determination, however we’ve no selection.”
The move came as Israel rolled out vaccinations to its general population, a day after some 10,000 medical staff received the first round of jabs.
Monday’s shots were administered to elderly and at-risk citizens, with Health Minister Yuli Edelstein saying that over 200,000 vaccination appointments have already been made.
One of those getting vaccinated in Jerusalem was 67-year-old Moti Zemer, who said the shot would enable him to hug his family again.
“Since March-April I’ve hardly seen my grandchildren and my kids, we see them solely on Zoom or from distant within the park,” he said.
“I’ve 21 grandchildren and it is not simple.”
Israel has ordered 14 million coronavirus vaccine doses — protecting seven million individuals, as two doses are required per individual — from US pharmaceutical big Pfizer and US biotech agency Moderna.
Nearly 380,000 individuals in Israel have examined constructive for the virus for the reason that first confirmed case was reported in February.
Over 3,100 individuals have died, in a rustic of round 9 million.
Israel imposed a second nationwide lockdown in September, when the nation had one of many world’s highest per capita an infection charges.
Restrictions have since been step by step eased however case numbers are once more on the rise.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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