Israel has banned passenger flights to and from the country. The ban will last until the end of January according to an official statement from prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The borders of Israel have been mostly closed to foreigners during the course of the pandemic. Only passport holders have been allowed to enter. 

Israel has been under a third lockdown since December 27

Netanyahu said: “Other than rare exceptions, we are closing the sky hermetically to prevent the entry of the virus variants and also to ensure that we progress quickly with our vaccination campaign.” Israel has been under a lockdown for the third time since December 27. 

Israel has also expanded its rapid vaccination drive. It will now also include late teens to prepare them to attend upcoming exams. The country has the fastest vaccine distribution rate in the world. Sharon Bershadsky, director of the Israel Tourist Office in the UK, said: “Israel has shown itself to be a world-leader in the vaccination roll-out scheme, working hard to open its borders to tourists as soon as possible. With the new virus variants appearing across the world, the government has decided to close the borders in order to prevent entry of the new variants into the country and to allow for the continuation and the quick progress of the vaccination programme.”

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