JERUSALEM, -- Israel on Saturday issued a ban on its citizens traveling to 50 African countries to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant Omicron, the Israeli health ministry said in a statement.
On Thursday, Israel labeled seven African countries as "red countries," banning travel to them, and now added 43 more countries on the continent to the list.
An attempt of an Israeli to travel to one of the 50 countries will result in a fine of 5,000 shekels (1,569 U.S. dollars), the ministry noted.
All Israelis returning from the 50 countries, including vaccinated and recovered ones, must enter quarantine for at least seven days.
Also, foreign nationals are not allowed to travel from the 50 countries to Israel, except in humanitarian cases with the approval of a special governmental committee.
So far, one case of Omicron has been detected in Israel, as a traveler who returned from Malawi was tested positive for the new variant.
In addition, there are seven suspected cases, for which the results of tests have not yet been received, according to the ministry.