Israel bans travel to Switzerland over Omicron concerns
Israel added Switzerland and the United States to its "no-fly" list on Monday over concerns about the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/Reuters/sb
From Tuesday December 21 at 10pm, Israelis will need special permission to fly to Switzerland, the United States and eight other countries amid the rapid, global spread of the new variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s office announced the decision following a Cabinet vote. A parliamentary committee is expected to give the measure final approval.
Israel has seen a surge in new cases of the more infectious coronavirus variant in recent weeks, and began closing its borders and restricting travel in late November.
Other countries that were approved to be added to the travel ban are Canada, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Turkey.
Swiss Omicron concerns
Switzerland is currently undergoing a fifth wave of the pandemic. It has also confirmed multiple cases of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 on its territory. Switzerland recorded 9,941 new coronavirus infections on Friday with 1,627 hospitalisations and 294 patients in intensive care.
On Sunday, Geneva University Hospital (HUG), one of the largest hospitals in Switzerland, indicated that around 20% of positive Covid tests in canton Geneva were the Omicron variant. This figure was zero per cent on December 8.
According to scientists at the University of Basel, the Omicron variant is almost three times more transmissible than the Delta variant. The Swiss government fears that hospital intensive care units may be over-run as the new variant spreads.
Omicron, first detected last month in southern Africa and Hong Kong, has raced around the globe. The World Health Organization reported Saturday that Omicron has been detected in 89 countries. It says Covid-19 cases involving the variant are doubling every 1.5 to 3 days in places with community transmission.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
Amherd: Council of Europe is ‘as urgently needed as ever’
This content was published on
The Swiss government emphasised on Sunday the vital role of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe, 75 years after it was founded.
Swiss minister: Italy will back Switzerland in EU talks
This content was published on
Bern can count on the backing of Italy as it re-enters talks with the European Union on future relations, Viola Amherd says.
Student protestors at University of Lausanne continue pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
Since Thursday, a hall on campus has been occupied by students calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions and a ceasefire in Gaza.
This content was published on
Swiss public broadcasters RTS and SRF are drastically reducing their communications via the social network X (formerly Twitter).
Israel: president of Swiss universities rejects academic boycott
This content was published on
Luciana Vaccaro, president of Swissuniversities, the umbrella group of Swiss universities, is not in favour of an academic boycott of Israeli universities.
Covid-19: Switzerland tightens restrictions for the unvaccinated
This content was published on
Switzerland to restrict access to restaurants, bars, cultural and sports facilities to vaccinated people or those recently recovered from infection.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.