Israel includes the United Kingdom, Belgium and Denmark on the Omicron Red List

Jerusalem, December 12 (EFE). – Israel will include the United Kingdom, Belgium and Denmark in the “red list” of countries whose citizens cannot travel to due to the expansion of the omicron type of coronavirus, a list that has already been included about fifty African countries have appeared since the end of November.
The country’s health authorities, including Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, announced that today at a press conference after a meeting to decide on new restrictions to contain the spread of Omicron, for which the country protected its borders for foreign visitors two weeks ago, a measure that is still in effect. Until Christmas Eve.
The three European countries are expected to enter the list of banned countries within the next 72 hours, when Israelis are prohibited from traveling, except for special and justified permission, and will have to quarantine between a week and ten days if they return from those places.
After meeting with his ministers in the morning, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that the situation on the omicron is worrying and that if strict border control measures are not taken in time, Israel may be destined for new confinement, something the government wants. to avoid.
“If we do not take immediate and difficult measures now, we will reach a closure,” Bennett said, noting that “the rate of immunization in Israel at the moment is appalling,” mainly due to the low rates of immunization among children, which Israel deals with. Vaccination can already be done from mid-November.
To date, only 5% of children aged 5 years and 9% of children 6 to 11 years of age have received at least one dose; Whereas the 12-15 year old group, which can be vaccinated from June, has only 60% immunization rate.
Last week, 42% of new cases of the virus were recorded in children between 5 and 11 years old; and another 9% among children between 12 and 15 years old.
Bennett also suggested the need for a feasibility study for a campaign for the fourth dose of vaccines for January, given the current situation due to Omicron, while more than 4 million people have applied the third, in a country of 9.3 million people.
Israel has so far recorded 55 cases of omicron, including 20 of the type confirmed at the weekend. In all, 42 of those infected were “protected” — who had received the third or second dose in the past six months — while the other 13 were unprotected.