The Health Ministry reported Monday it had identified in Israel the first cases of two new COVID-19 strains that were originally found in Brazil and Chille.
Health authorities said that two cases of the Brazilian coronavirus variant were identified in an infant and in a vaccinated adult who returned from abroad.
The ministry said it had also detected the first case in Israel of the Chilean variant in a vaccinated adult who came back from abroad. Some 60 cases of the Indian variant have been identified in Israel as of Sunday, most of them in foreign laborers hailing from the Indian sub-continent.
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A health worker holding a coronavirus test kit at a facility in Jerusalem
(Photo: AP)
An official statement said that health officials do not yet know the effects of the strains on those who are vaccinated or have fully recovered from the disease and will keep the public updated on any new information or findings on the matter.
On Friday, the government imposed travel restrictions on seven nations due to their severe coronavirus outbreaks.
Starting Monday, Israeli citizens will be banned from traveling to Ukraine, Ethiopia, Brazil, South Africa, India, Mexico and Turkey, with some exceptions for special circumstances.
As far as connecting flights are concerned, Israelis will still be able to depart to the states on the ban list as long as they stay in the transit airport for up to 12 hours.
Israelis returning from these seven locations will have to go through mandatory self-isolation regardless of their vaccination status.
The new restrictions are expected to remain in effect until May 16 at the very least.
i24NEWS contributed to this article.