Israel tightens travel restrictions over new COVID variant

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved barring entry to foreign nationals and the use of controversial technology for contact tracing as part of its efforts to clamp down on a new coronavirus variant. The Health Ministry said in a statement Sunday that the country’s coronavirus Cabinet had authorized a raft of measures, including red-listing travel to 50 African countries, banning entry by foreign nationals, and mandating quarantine for all Israelis arrived from abroad. It also approved use of the Shin Bet internal security agency’s controversial phone monitoring technology to perform contact tracing of individuals confirmed with the new omicron variant of coronavirus in Israel.