Israel will close to visitors for 2 weeks in response to Omicron
Israel is closing to non-citizen international travelers for two weeks and reinstating its quarantine rules. The move comes as the country tries to contain the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus.
The ban takes effect on Sunday night and applies to visitors from any country. This makes Israel the first country to completely shut its borders in response to the new variant. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made the decision on Nov. 26 during a meeting of the coronavirus cabinet.
In addition to the closure of Ben Gurion airport to foreigners for two weeks, Israelis who arrive from abroad will have to go through mandatory quarantine for three days, according to the Times of Israel. Those coming from countries in the "red" category (which includes most of Africa) must quarantine in designated hotels pending a negative virus test.
Related: Omicron is now in UK and possibly Germany
In a statement, the Prime Minister added that the Shin Bet domestic security agency's phone-tracking technology will help to locate carriers of the new variant.
According to Israel's Health Ministry, there are seven suspected cases and one confirmed case of infection with the Omicron variant in Israel as of Nov. 27.
Israel has joined several countries that have banned visitors from much of Africa in the past few days. Omicron was first identified in South Africa on Nov. 24, and is identified as a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization.
Related: Visitors to the UK must take PCR test after arrival: Omicron cases confirmed
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
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- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month

