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Israel to Shut Down International Airport to Keep out Coronavirus Variants

VOA News

   Israel says it plans to shut down its international airport by the end
   of the week to keep out highly contagious coronavirus variants.

   Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday, "We are closing the
   skies hermetically, except for really rare exceptions, to prevent the
   entry of virus mutations, and also to ensure that we progress quickly
   with our vaccination campaign."

   The new measure is set to begin Tuesday and last until the end of the
   month, pending parliamentary approval.

   Meanwhile, the White House said Sunday it is ready to restrict entry of
   non-U.S. citizens traveling to the U.S. from South Africa because of
   concerns about the highly contagious coronavirus variant that has
   emerged there.

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