Israel announced on Sunday it intends to add 10 new countries to its no-fly list as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread the world over at full tilt.
According to the Health Ministry, the new states to be blacklisted are the U.S., Italy, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Canada, Morocco, Portugal, Switzerland and Turkey.
Israelis will be forbidden to visit the foregoing countries without special permission from a specialized government exceptions committee.
The decision is set to go into effect Wednesday, pending approval by the government and the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
Israel has already banned the entry of foreigners to try to stem the spread of COVID-19 and put in place 3–7 day self-isolation orders for Israelis returning from abroad.
Some 50 countries, mainly in Africa, have been designated as high-risk of infection by Israel since the discovery of the highly contagious variant. Also on the list are the United Kingdom, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, Norway, Spain, Finland, France and Sweden.
The Health Ministry also reported 40 new Omicron infections on Sunday, bringing the country's total caseload to 175 — 113 of which were detected in travelers returning from abroad, 31 had been in contact with people who recently traveled abroad, and the rest were infected in the community.
About two-thirds of the country's Omicron patients were vaccinated with a booster shot.
Some 380 more people were suspected of carrying Omicron.