Israel’s Health Ministry is considering adding the United States to the list of “red” countries to which travel is banned, Kan News reported on Monday morning.

According to a source involved in the issue, the possibility of banning travel to the US was raised in discussions in recent days but a decision had not yet been reached on the matter. The source added that the ban is being considered due to fear of the entry of new virus variants.

The US, among many other countries, was designated as an “orange” country [to go into effect on August 11] – under a severe travel warning – which means that travelers from those locations will have to enter full quarantine [14 days that can be shortened to 7 days with two negative COVID tests] even if vaccinated or recovered.

Following a meeting of the coronavirus cabinet on Sunday night, the Health Ministry published a list of new countries to which travel is banned, including Bulgaria, Brazil, Georgia, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey. The UK, South Africa, Russia, and several other countries are set to be removed from the banned list.

There are currently only 10 “yellow” countries that are considered low-risk and returning Israelis are only required to quarantine for 24 hours or until receiving a negative coronavirus result: Austria, Australia, Hong Kong, Hungary, Taiwan, Moldova, New Zealand, China, Singapore, and the Czech Republic. Only three of the ten countries allow entry to Israelis: Austria, Moldova and the Czech Republic.

This means that most countries in the world to which Israelis travel to, over 90, will be considered “orange” countries [to go into effect on Monday, August 16], and returning travelers will have to enter full quarantine even if vaccinated or recovered.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)