Prime Minister Naftali Bennett held a press conference last night (Sunday) and clarified that the decision to close Israel to tourists and the declaration of red states, was “an important, courageous decision, which bought us all precious time.” These things are also joined by the corona’s professor, Professor Salman Zarqa, who says that the fact that there are only a few hundred infected with the new variant is a result of the rapid reaction to the new situation.
In an interview with Israel Today, Zarqa warns that “it seems that in two weeks we will be here with thousands of patients, we are heading for a wave we have not seen before, the numbers are higher.” We are very concerned about the omicron wave, which has already started, “he added,” if you look at Europe, you realize that we are at a profit of two weeks maximum three, and we are trying to translate that into more protected among the population. “
The red states came into force
The project also made it clear that the best protection is through vaccines. “We are working to make the HMOs accessible so that no one will have a problem getting vaccinated. We will wash the country with vaccines.” The Ministry of Health clarifies that at this stage every person exposed to a verified patient for the variant, whether vaccinated or recovering, should perform a PCR test to detect the virus and go into isolation for 14 days with the possibility of shortening isolation on the seventh day after a negative PCR test result.
The Red States Photo: Ministry of Health
As of midnight last night (Sunday, 19.12), the UAE, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Finland, France and Sweden were classified as red countries. That is, a state to which exit is prohibited except with an exceptional permit, and all returnees from a red state will be charged with full isolation.
The cabinet ministers have now approved (in a telephone poll) the expansion of the list of red states, in accordance with the recommendation of the Committee for the Classification of States in the Ministry of Health discussed yesterday at the cabinet meeting. Accordingly, Italy, USA, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Switzerland and Turkey – will be defined as red starting tomorrow (Tuesday), 21 December 2021, at midnight (the night between Tuesday and Wednesday), subject to approval Knesset Constitution Committee.