Israel set to ‘partially’ reopen

Israel is partially reopening to foreigners despite the new Omicron COVID strain sweeping the world

The country will allow foreigners with COVID immunity to enter from other nations deemed medium-risk from next week.

It partially reverses a ban imposed in late November in response to the Omicron variant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s Government sees declining value in sweeping travel curbs.

They say restrictions have caused havoc on winter tourism as domestic COVID cases surge.

The Health Ministry says the foreign travellers from 199 “orange” countries will be admitted if they can prove they are vaccinated or have recovered from the virus.

Orange-listed countries include Australia, Italy and Ireland.

The nation’s Health Minister also recommends that the 16 “red”-listed countries be changed to “orange”.