Israel unveils plan to ban travel to and from U.S., Canada, 8 other countries amid Omicron surge

Israeli Cabinet meeting
(Image credit: Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

Israel's government announced Monday that it will ban travel to and from the U.S., Canada, and eight other countries, mostly in Europe, amid the rapid global spread of the Omicron coronavirus variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said the Cabinet had approved the ban, and a parliamentary committee is expected to give the measure final approval, making it effective Wednesday.

Israel started to seal its borders as cases started to rise in late November, and Bennett said Sunday that a "fifth wave" of COVID-19 had begun. Israel is one of the most vaccinated nations in the world, mostly with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and it approved booster shots before most other countries. But cutting off travel with the U.S. is a rare move for Israel to take. The other eight countries on the no-travel list are Belgium, German, Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, Hungary, Turkey, and Morocco.

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Peter Weber

Peter Weber is a senior editor at TheWeek.com, and has handled the editorial night shift since the website launched in 2008. A graduate of Northwestern University, Peter has worked at Facts on File and The New York Times Magazine. He speaks Spanish and Italian and plays bass and rhythm cello in an Austin rock band. Follow him on Twitter.