The Israel Police and the Public Security Ministry are preparing to enforce mandatory quarantines for Israelis returning to Israel from no-fly states. All those returning from such high-risk destinations will be required to quarantine at a state-run hotel for 24 hours and until they are able to present a negative PCR test result and agree to Shin Bet intelligence tracking of their cellphones.
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As part of the effort to fight the spread of the virus, the Knesset Health Committee on Wednesday authorized increased coronavirus restrictions that went into effect this week, including mandatory 72-hour quarantine for travelers returning to Israel from overseas and an entry ban on foreign tourists.
Upon authorizing the Shin Bet tracking, the individual in question will be able to leave the state-run hotel for an address provided to the government where they will stay for the remainder of their quarantine period. To comply with the tracking, Israelis must share their cellphone location any time it is requested by the Israel Police via text message.
Israelis who refuse to be tracked will need to remain at the state-run hotel for the entirety of the quarantine period.
At the meeting, senior Health Ministry official Ilana Gan explained the need for additional coronavirus restrictions.
"The identification of the Omicron variant is a warning sign for us because it has a lot of mutations, and that is what makes us suspect the potential for harm to vaccine efficacy on the biological level. We saw dramatic changes in Alpha, Beta, and others as well, but there were somewhere between one and three mutations, and here 15 mutations have already been identified in the same protein. That is critical for the antigens our bodies produce."
She noted, "In South Africa, this variant has been identified in 7% of all samples in two weeks, it pushed the Delta [variant] aside and appears to be far more infectious. The number of confirmed cases there increased sevenfold in two weeks, and the death rate quadrupled. Sixty-four countries have reported the existence of the variant in their territory. This is a very worrying image that reflects a very high potential for infection."
Gans said the Health Ministry "does not currently see serious morbidity among the vaccinated, but we still can't say exactly what the potential for infection with this variant among the vaccinated and the recovered is. And therefore, until that becomes clear, we have asked to impose a shortened mandatory quarantine on the vaccinated and recovered returning from overseas, from all countries around the world, as well. A negative test carried out on the third day after landing will release the quarantiner [from quarantine]," she said.
Meanwhile, coronavirus chief Salman Zarka said Israel needed to "consider mandating vaccinations against the coronavirus in Israel," in an interview with Tel Aviv Radio Wednesday morning.
"That is my position, which does not currently reflect any activity in the field, not in the Health Ministry nor in the government," he noted.
As for the US Food and Drug Administration's authorization of the Molnupiravir COVID medication, Zarka said, "It really isn't a perfect medication, but it's an important medication for patients who have pre-existing conditions and can suffer from complications with the coronavirus disease."
Zarka clarified that "the most important tool for us to protect ourselves and not need these medications is the vaccines, but we need all the tools [available] in this war."
He said that Israel was constantly in negotiations to acquire various means to contend with the virus and that if the medication received authorization Israeli citizens would have access to it. Zarka further said Israelis might be able to purchase the medication at their local pharmacy in the future. "It prevents the development of the disease and the appearance of severe illness."
On Tuesday, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said a booster dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine appeared to provide protection from the recently identified Omicron variant of the virus.
Speaking at a press conference at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba while touring the facility with Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, he said, "The situation is under control, and there is no need for panic.
"We expected the entry of a new variant to Israel, we drilled it, and we are ready. It may be that another variant arrives, and we will be ready for that as well. Our policy is of life alongside coronavirus, meaning protecting [public] health but also ensuring an open market, employment, sports, and income."
He said, "We've proven we can be trusted to make the right decisions. The best thing to do is to get vaccinated – among children too.
The Prime Minister's Office, meanwhile, launched a new Twitter account with the handle @PandemicInfoIL it said was "dedicated to sharing information, insights & lessons from Israel's efforts to combat COVID-19" Monday.
Among the Israel Pandemic Info Center's initial posts was a video of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussing the virus with Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenber and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
Each country has gained vast knowledge from their fight against #COVID.
So why not share insights & learn from each other?
That's exactly what Israeli PM 🇮🇱 @NaftaliBennett, Austrian Chancellor 🇦🇹 @a_Schallenberg & Czech PM 🇨🇿 @AndrejBabis did today in their virtual meeting. pic.twitter.com/5RPkfK4iTN
— Israel Pandemic Info Center (@PandemicInfoIL) November 30, 2021
Israel's coronavirus infection rate stands at 0.64%, according to Health Ministry data. Of the 96,346 people who tested for the virus Tuesday, 569 were found to have COVID-19.
There are 5,669 active cases of the virus in the country. There are 115 people in serious condition, 65 of whom are on ventilators.
Although 1,329,817 Israelis have recovered from the virus since the outbreak of the pandemic, 8,196 have died.
On the vaccination front, 6,335,252 Israelis have received at least one job of the coronavirus vaccine, while 5,776,993 have received two doses. Over 4 million Israelis – 4,082,447 – have received all three available doses of the vaccine.
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