Live updates: follow the latest news on Covid-19 variant Omicron
Israel's Health Ministry on Thursday said several countries including the UAE, UK and US would be removed from a Covid-19 "red list" of banned destinations, despite a surge in the Omicron coronavirus variant.
"The ministry of health recommends to the government to remove at this stage all countries from the red list," it said.
The decision goes into effect Thursday, the ministry said, adding that it was "subject to the approval of the government".
The measure was taken "in light of the share of infections of those entering Israel compared to the share of community spread", the ministry said.
Ethiopia, Tanzania, Mexico, Switzerland and Turkey will also be removed from the banned destinations list.
Last month, Israel barred travel to those countries among dozens of "red" destinations to try to slow an Omicron-fuelled surge in cases.
That ban followed a move in late November to block entry to all foreign tourists.
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A young woman receives a Pfizer jab in Diepsloot Township near Johannesburg, South Africa. AP Photo -
A girl wearing a face mask rides on a merry-go-round at the Christmas market in Frankfurt, Germany. AP Photo -
People travel on a London underground tube train on the Jubilee Line, in London, during the pandemic. AP Photo -
People wait for the tram in Vienna, Austria, amid the crisis. AP Photo -
A woman passes by an empty terrace in the Marrolles quarter in Brussels, Belgium. AP Photo -
A teacher gives online lessons via webcam at the temporarily closed elementary school in the town of Trebisov, eastern Slovakia. TASR via AP -
Hairdressers and clients wear masks in Amsterdam, Netherlands. AFP -
A man disinfects seats for tourists at a beach in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia. EPA -
Israeli boy Itamar, 5, receives a dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Meuhedet Healthcare Services Organisation in Tel Aviv. AFP -
A patient suffering from Covid-19 is admitted in the intensive care unit of the Basaksehir Cam and Sakura City Hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Reuters -
A health worker prepares to administer the AstraZeneca jab in Abuja, Nigeria. AFP
Israel this week announced that vaccinated visitors from low-risk countries could enter the country.
"Five weeks ago we closed the state of Israel to entry by foreign nationals," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday. "This greatly delayed the entry of Omicron to the country."
Israeli authorities reported 16,115 coronavirus infections on Wednesday, the highest daily load since the start of the pandemic.
There are 307 people in hospital with the virus, the health ministry said.
On Monday Israel began administering fourth Covid-19 vaccine shots for people older than 60 and health workers.
About 4.3 million Israelis have had three shots of a coronavirus vaccine, while about 2.8 million people of a population of 9.4 million have not received any shots at all.
Visitors to Israel will be allowed in from Sunday.
They will have to take a PCR or antigen test before boarding their flights and another PCR when they arrive, and they will be required to enter quarantine while waiting for the result.
