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Israeli PM warns of state of emergency due to new coronavirus variant
"We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency," Bennett said, according to a statement from his office. "Our main principle is to act fast, strong and now."
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Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett speaks during a reception hosted by the Orthodox Union in Jerusalem ahead of the opening of the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, May 14, 2018. (Reuters/Ammar Awad/File Photo)
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sraeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met health experts on Friday to discuss how best to respond to a new variant of the coronavirus that has been detected in South Africa that he said was more contagious than the Delta strain.
"We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency," Bennett said, according to a statement from his office. "Our main principle is to act fast, strong and now."
Bennett said there were a few cases of the new variant reported in Israel.
Israel's Ynet news website reported that, according to the Health Ministry, one of those individuals had received a third shot, or booster, of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine two months ago. A Health Ministry spokesperson could not confirm the report.
Israel announced on Thursday it was barring its citizens from travelling to southern Africa and banning the entry of foreigners from the region.
