Israel

Britain, Germany and Italy detected cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant on Saturday and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced new steps to contain the virus, while more nations imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa. The discovery of the variant has sparked global concern, a wave of travel bans or curbs and a sell-off on financial markets on Friday as investors worried that Omicron could stall a global recovery from the nearly two-year pandemic. Israel said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country and reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology to contain the spread of the variant. The two linked cases of Omicron detected in Britain were connected to travel to southern Africa, British health minister Sajid Javid said. Johnson laid out measures that included stricter testing rules for people arriving in the country but that stopped short of curbs on social activity other than requiring mask wearing in some settings. … [Read more...] about UK, Germany and Italy detect Omicron variant cases, Israel closes borders

Israel on Saturday said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant, and said it would use counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology in order to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. Covid-19 testing at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, near Tel Aviv. (File photo: AFP) Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban, pending government approval, would last 14 days. Officials hope that within that period there will be more information on how effective COVID-19 vaccines are against Omicron, which was first detected in South Africa and has been dubbed a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization. "Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country," Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked told N12's "Meet the Press," "and that the vaccine is effective, although we don't … [Read more...] about Israel to ban entry of foreigners from all countries over Omicron

Japan said on Monday it would close its borders to foreigners, as the world's third-largest economy joined Israel in taking the toughest measures against the Omicron variant of coronavirus, which the WHO said carried a "very high" global risk of surges. Markets regained some composure as investors awaited further details of the variant, after having sunk last week on fears that it could bring fresh curbs, threatening a nascent economic revival from a two-year pandemic. Potentially more contagious than prior variants, Omicron, first identified in southern Africa, has been found in Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands and Scotland. The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally, bringing "severe consequences" in some areas, the World Health Organisation (WHO) advised its 194 member nations. "The overall global risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron is assessed as very high," said … [Read more...] about Japan, Israel bar foreigners as WHO flags global risk from Omicron

Starting in December, travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will be prohibited, senior health official Opas Karnkawinpong told a news conference. Thailand will not allow travelers from these countries to register to travel to Thailand starting on Saturday, he said. The announcement comes as the U.S. and other countries in Asia tighten borders over worries about the B 1.1.529 variant. The World Health Organization designated it the latest "variant of concern," saying it may spread more quickly than other forms. "We have notified airlines and these countries," Opas said adding that travelers from other African countries will not be allowed to use the country's quarantine-free travel scheme for vaccinated travelers. Japan's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday the country will tighten border controls for the southern African nations of Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia, requiring a 10-day quarantine for any entrants. The new … [Read more...] about Thailand joins list of nations to ban entry from African countries over Covid Omicron variant

PANO - The “6 th Europe-Asia meet: contemporary dance,” the biggest international festival for contemporary dancers, will be held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city from September 24 to 27. The show will take place from September 24 to 27 in HN and HCMC According to a representative from the Goethe Institute, the festival’s organizer, contemporary dancers from Germany, France, Israel, Japan, Austria and Vietnam will have performances featuring both real and imaginative ideas and a deep exploration of the soul of contemporary people. All performances are staged with light and multi-media installations. Translated by Chung Anh … [Read more...] about Europe–Asia meet through contemporary dance

Maldives said it was barring travellers from seven African countries from Sunday over concerns about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19. Travellers will not be allowed into Maldives from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, the health ministry said in a statement. Travellers who arrived from these countries over the past two days will have to undergo 14 days of quarantine. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday declared the new coronavirus variant to be "of concern" and many countries have slapped travel restrictions on various African nations. The new variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa last week and has so far been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel. … [Read more...] about Maldives bans travellers from 7 African nations due to Omicron COVID-19 variant