Israel bans travel to United States

Jerusalem: Israel announced on Monday that its citizens would be banned from traveling to the US without special permission as of midnight on Tuesday (2200 UTC Tuesday).

The reports said that the decision was taken due to the Omicron coronavirus variant takes hold across the world, reported by Deutsche Welle.

A statement issued by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office cited concerns over the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus as the reason for the ban, which also now includes Germany, Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey.

The statement said that the cabinet ministers had voted to instate the ban on these countries on Monday following advice from the Health Ministry. Israeli citizens are now banned from traveling to more than 50 countries.

Israeli citizens and permanent residents will not be able to travel to the US unless they have special permission.

All travelers, including those who are vaccinated or recovered and carry a valid COVID-19 certificate, will have to go into isolation for 14 days upon their return from the US.

Non-Israeli citizens coming from the US will not be allowed to enter Israel unless they have special permission.