JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli 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.”
Israel has reported one case of the new strain in a traveller returning from Malawi.
Israel announced on Thursday it was barring its citizens from travelling to southern Africa and banning the entry of foreigners from the region.
(Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch;Editing by Alison Williams)
