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TRAVEL BAN EXTENDED, PUSH TO WORK FROM HOME

Israel tries to tackle Omicron as tally doubles

December 23, 2021, 10:50 am Edit
An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to a student at the al-Manahel School. Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP
An Israeli health worker administers a dose of the Pfizer vaccine to a student at the al-Manahel School. Photo: Jalaa Marey/AFP

ISRAEL’S Health Ministry said on Tuesday that 170 new cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus had been confirmed in the country, doubling the number of infections, as leaders scrambled to curtail the reach of the virus and prepare for its seemingly inexorable spread.

There have been 341 verified Omicron cases to date, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Another 807 infections were “highly suspected” to be Omicron, but were awaiting verification.

The announcement came as Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett convened his ‘coronavirus’ cabinet to discuss possible new restrictions. Bennett told lawmakers that “the decision is between easy restrictions now versus difficult steps later”.

“The bad news is that the Omicron in Israel is advancing exactly according to our expectations and predictions,” he said. “We’re doubling new cases.”

At a meeting with Bennett this week, health officials reportedly advocated for significantly expanding COVID restrictions to curb the variant. The meeting ended with no decisions on the matter.

Knesset lawmakers on Tuesday approved banning travel to and from the United States and other countries, adding them to a swiftly expanding list of “red” destinations.

That horse may have already bolted from the barn. The Health Ministry said 234 of the confirmed cases – some 71 per cent – were among people who had come from abroad. Another 29 verified cases had direct contact with recent arrivals from abroad, and 66 were infected via community spread.

More than 1300 new COVID cases were recorded on Monday, the highest single-day tally since October. Daily cases have steadily risen from around 400-500 a month ago.

Among the confirmed Omicron cases, 95 of them were considered “unprotected,” meaning they had not been vaccinated with a booster, recovered from the virus in the past six months, or received their second vaccine shot in the past six months.

Ministers convened remotely on Tuesday to weigh new measures to contain the virus.

The coronavirus cabinet approved a measure to cut back the capacity of in-

office workers at public sector workplaces by 50 per cent. The decision means at least half of public office workers will work from home.

The decision will go into effect on Sunday and last for one month, until January 26.

Earlier this week, Bennett urged private sector companies and businesses to allow their employees to work from home as much as possible.

Since the start of the pandemic, 8232 Israelis have died of COVID, including three fatalities in the past week.

Times of Israel

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