Israel is cancelling its designation of the United States and seven other countries as high COVID-19 risks, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, as the fast-spreading but relatively low-morbidity Omicron variant prompts reviews of restrictions.
Moving fast after Omicron was first detected abroad, Israel in late November barred foreigners and expanded a list of "red" countries to which travel by its citizens was strictly limited, with greater latitude given for medium-risk "orange" countries.
The measure devastated winter tourism. It had come under public scrutiny as Israel, seeking to husband resources amid surges in new but mostly mild infections, earmarked PCR tests for vulnerable cohorts and loosened quarantine requirements.
On Thursday morning, the United States, Britain, United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Turkey, Tanzania, Mexico and Switzerland were on the "red" list. Health Ministry director-general Nachman Ash said the list would be scrapped at midnight (2200 GMT), subject to approval by the Cabinet and a parliamentary panel.
