Israel's Health Minister: 'Omicron Variant Is Under Control'

Israel's Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said on Sunday that the omicron variant of Covid-19 was "under control" in the country.

“We assumed that a new variant was going to emerge. Through our defensive and coercive measures, we located this variant quickly. We were among the first to find and isolate it. Everything is under control. There is no need to fear or panic," Horowitz said at a press conference.

The minister also defended the emergency decree signed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett authorizing the Shin Bet security services to track those infected with the omicron variant, while expressing doubts.

"I have a big problem with the use of tracking. I prefer the Shin Bet to deal with security issues and not civil issues," he said, adding that "the implementation of tracking of the Shin Bet is very limited, temporary and under heavy surveillance."

The new tracing measure will be in force until December 2 and will be stopped in the event of a "large-scale" spread of the omicron variant, the Prime Minister's Office said, specifying that the measure had been approved by the cabinet.

The announcement of the new measures came a few hours before the start of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the "Festival of Lights," which lasts for eight days and during which many gatherings and festivities take place.

In addition, Israel will ban from Sunday evening the entry of foreign nationals into its territory in the hope of slowing the spread of the omicron variant, two cases of which have been confirmed.