Israel Closes Border to Foreigners Over Omicron Variant but Miss Universe Pageant Will Go On

Even though Israel announced late Saturday night that it would close its borders to foreign travelers in order to stop the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the show must go on and Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov told reporters that Israel will host the Miss Universe beauty pageant in Eilat in southern Israel in two weeks. “This is an event that will be broadcast in 174 countries, a very important event, an event that Eilat, too, is very much in need of,” he said Sunday at the Knesset. Many of the pageant participants are already in the country, but those that have not yet arrived will be granted a waiver to enter Israel, and be required to undergo frequent PCR testing. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday at the start of the regular Cabinet meeting called for “patience and discipline” from the public. “I understand that everyone is tired of life in the shadow of the coronavirus,” Bennett said, adding that: “Our mission as a government is to facilitate routine life as much as possible. … Now we need to tighten the borders in order to keep the country open within.” One verified case of the new variant has been discovered in Israel, as well as 12 suspected cases. In another controversial decision, the coronavirus cabinet on Saturday night ordered the Shin Bet security service to resume tracking people suspected of having the new virus variant via their cell phones, a move confirmed by the Cabinet on Sunday. Also on Sunday, Emirates airline announced that it would postpone the start of a daily flight between Dubai and Tel Aviv that had been announced earlier this month. The start of the flights will be postponed “until further notice,” as a result of the change in entry protocol put into place by the Israeli government due to the new variant.