Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said today that the protection provided by vaccines is "weaker than we hoped" against the new, more infectious delta strain of the coronavirus.
Vaccines alone will not solve the problem, he said at a situation assessment meeting attended by ministers, health officials, members of the national security council, the military and the police, Israeli media reported.
"On the one hand, the vaccines are effective against the virus and we provide the necessary supplies. But the vaccines are not enough," Bennett explained, adding that the delta strain is spreading around the world without knowing exactly "to what extent the vaccine helps, but that is significantly less" against that strain compared to earlier strains.
Bennett reminded that everyone was hoping for a slowdown in the spread of the infection, but that this is not the case either in Israel, which conducted one of the most successful vaccination campaigns, or anywhere in the world, and that despite this, the goal is to continue routine life while adapting to the coronavirus.
At the meeting, among other things, it was decided to soon introduce passes for the vaccinated for weddings, parties and celebrations indoors.
In that country, 5.220.000 of over 9,3 million inhabitants, or 57,6 percent, were immunized.
Starting today, 24-hour isolation is planned for all travelers entering Israel, including those vaccinated or those who have recovered from covid-19, that is, until they receive a negative test result.
Those returning from 15 countries where the infection rate is high will have to be quarantined for seven days and with a negative test result.
The list includes the United Arab Emirates, Seychelles, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Namibia, Guatemala, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Namibia, Paraguay, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Tunisia.
From July 23, the list will be expanded to include Great Britain, Cyprus, Turkey, Georgia, Uganda, Myanmar, Fiji, Panama, Cambodia, Kenya and Liberia.
Next Friday, Israelis will be banned from traveling to Spain and Kyrgyzstan because they will be on the list of countries with extreme infection rates, provided the government committee approves the ministers' request.
That list now includes Uzbekistan, Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico and Russia.
On Thursday, 855 new cases of infection were recorded after three days with more than 750 infected.
Of the approximately 65.000 tests performed on Thursday, 1,52 percent were positive.
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