Israel Bans U.S. Travel Day After 1 in 10 Test Positive for Covid-19 on Flight From Miami

Israel added the United States to its list of “red countries” on Monday, effectively banning travel in and out of the country to the U.S. – effective on Tuesday at midnight.

The ban comes as cases of Covid-19 in the U.S. are spiking and in some states, like New York, setting new records for daily total cases.

A flight landed from Miami, Florida into Israel on Sunday night, hours before the new ban was announced, in which 1 in 10 passengers onboard tested positive for Covid-19.

Israel tests all passengers upon arrival, offering a rare glimpse into the number of cases aboard an airplane. Florida has some of the laxest public safety measures regarding Covid-19 and mask-wearing in particular.

Israel only has 175 reported cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant and believes that the 17 cases from the Miami flight are likely to turn out to be Omicron.

Canada, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Turkey, and Switzerland were also added to Israel’s list of “red countries.” Any Israeli citizen returning from those countries will now have a mandatory seven-day quarantine upon arrival and will need to clear two Covid-19 tests before being released. Israelis can request special permission from the government to travel to a “red country.”

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