Israel became the first country to seal its borders to all foreign travelers in response to the Omicron variant of the coronaviruses, taking a step that appeared more severe but less discriminating than other countries.
Israel reopened its skies to tourists four weeks ago after it had banned foreign visitors early in the Pandemic. Its borders are expected to be closed to foreigners by midnight on Sunday and Monday.
The reversal came after a late-night meeting of Israel's coronaviruses cabinet and constituted a broader ban than those imposed by most countries so far. The United States, Britain, Canada, the European Union and other nations have all announced bans on travelers from southern Africa.
Africans were angry because they believed that the continent was bearing the brunt of policies from Western countries that had failed to deliver vaccines and the resources needed to administer them.
After Israel announced a blanket ban on all travelers, Morocco said it would deny entry to all travelers for two weeks. All incoming and outgoing flights are banned over the course of two weeks.
Foreign nationals will be banned from entering Israel for at least 14 days if they have urgent humanitarian cases approved by a special exceptions committee. Returning Israelis will have to self-quarantine for three days if they fail a P.C.R. test. For seven days, unvaccinated Israelis will have to self-quarantine.
Israelis returning from countries classified as "red" will have to enter a hotel until they get a negative result from the airport test, and then transfer to home quark until they get a 7-day test result.
The chairman of an expert panel that advises the Israeli government on Covid-19 response said the decision was temporary and was taken out of prudence because most nations are not yet capable of detecting the variant.
Israel has identified at least one confirmed case of Omicron so far, and testing has provided indications of several more likely cases in the country.
On Sunday, the Israeli Ministry of Health called for all passengers to get a P.C.R. test and self-isolate after it was revealed that a woman from Africa was on the bus.
Israel only recently emerged from a fourth wave of the virus that saw one of the world's highest rates of daily infections from the Delta strain. Israeli scientists discovered that people who had received a second Pfizer shot had waning immunity, and that's when the booster shots began.
The Israeli government held a drill code named "Omega" this month to test their preparations for a new variant of Covid.
In Israel, at least 80 percent of people living over the age of 16 have been vaccinations, but the numbers are lower in younger age groups.
Israel's Covid policy now focuses on trying to keep the economy open while controlling the borders.
The reimposed entry restrictions have upended holiday plans for tourists from abroad. Esther Block, from London, has been waiting for two years to visit her lifelong friends in Israel. When Israel first locked down, Ms. Block and her husband were due to come.
Ms. Block was scheduled to get a booster shot next week, but she recovered from Covid about four weeks ago. The family had started planning a trip to Israel over the December holidays because her son was going to get a second shot next week.
Ms. Block said she didn't know when she'd be able to come. I feel pretty gutted. I think we should all be doing what Israel is doing. It seems sensible to be cautious, even though it is incredibly frustrating.
Aida Alami is from Morocco.
