"Right now, with the current data, the restrictions cannot be removed because there still isn't any new [information] or enough information on the Omicron [variant]," Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash said when asked about restrictions on passengers entering Israel and quarantine requirements for the vaccinated Monday night.
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"Some of the reports we're hearing are reassuring, and some are worrying," Ash said. "There are reports of increased morbidity in children, of more infections and hospitalizations, but these reports are not well established. We will know more ahead of the weekend, but in the meantime, we will want to extend the existing restrictions."
As for the quarantine and epidemiological investigation of those infected with the Omicron variant, Ash said, "A majority of the confirmed cases are cooperating, but there are those arriving who refuse to provide a sample and people who refuse to be taken to a [state-run quarantine] motel. There are difficulties with investigations – not something we haven't encountered in the past, but we are two years into the pandemic, dealing with a more dangerous and violent variant, and all this gets in the way."
As for planned talks on the possibility of vaccinating Israelis with a fourth dose of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, the Health Ministry chief said they would "only be for the immunocompromised for now. We are following those vaccinated with a third dose, and there are no signs of a decline [in vaccine efficacy]."
Also on Monday, Ash and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met to formulate plans for the period after the current coronavirus restrictions come to an end.
Although no time limit has been set for the current restrictions, the two discussed changes that would see vaccinated individuals returning from "yellow" countries required to take a PCR test upon landing and quarantine for a 24-hour period at home. Unvaccinated individuals returning from "yellow" and "orange" countries would need to quarantine for seven days and provide two negative PCR test results, one on the first day and another on the seventh day of quarantine.
In addition, unvaccinated passengers returning from "red" states will need to quarantine at a state-run quarantine hotel at their expense until they are able to provide an initial negative PCR test result, according to the proposed changes in policy. Upon receiving a negative test result, they would need to authorize Shin Bet security agency tracking of their cellphone, upon which they would be able to quarantine at home for seven days. Release from quarantine would be approved upon the provision of a negative PCR test result.
When the new policy is approved, vaccinated individuals returning from "orange" states will need to provide negative PCR test results upon landing and three days after landing in Israel. The mandatory quarantine period will be shortened to 24 hours or until the provision of a negative test, whichever comes first. Vaccinated Israelis returning from "red" states will need to provide a negative PCR test result on the day they land in Israel as well as on the seventh day of quarantining at home.
The government is set to convene to discuss current morbidity data in Israel and around the world later this week.
Meanwhile, in the most sweeping vaccine mandate of any state or big city in the US, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced all private employers in the Big Apple, from big Wall Street banks to corner grocery stores, would need to require their workers get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The move comes as cases are climbing again in the US and the worrisome but little-understood Omicron variant is gaining a toehold in the nation's largest city and elsewhere around the country.
"We in New York City have decided to use a pre-emptive strike to really do something bold to stop the further growth of COVID and the dangers it's causing to all of us," he said.
De Blasio, a Democrat with just weeks left in office, said the mandate will take effect Dec. 27, with in-person workers needing to provide proof they have received at least one dose of the vaccine. They will not be allowed to opt out by agreeing to regular COVID-19 testing instead.
The measure will apply to roughly 184,000 businesses not covered by previous vaccine mandates, ranging from multinational corporations to mom-and-pop businesses in the city of 8.8 million people, according to a spokesperson for the mayor. The city's private-sector workforce is 3.7 million.
Also, anyone aged 12 or older who wants to dine indoors at a restaurant, go to a gym, or see a show will have to produce proof of having received two shots of the vaccine, up from the current requirement of one dose, the mayor said. And children aged 5 to 11 will have to show proof of at least one shot.
De Blasio said the moves are aimed at staving off a spike of infections amid holiday gatherings and the cold weather, which drives more people indoors, where the virus can spread more easily.
Phil Penta, who runs a specialty grocery store called Three Guys from Brooklyn, said the impending mandate could put him in a bind by forcing him to fire valued employees who are holding out against the vaccine.
"Everybody wants to do the right thing, but the right thing is different for everybody," said Penta, who said the vast majority of his roughly three dozen employees have been vaccinated. He added: "I respect the right to say they don't want to take it."
Vaccine rules across states and cities vary widely, with some states resisting any mandates and others requiring the shots for government employees or certain sectors that run a particularly high risk, such as health care workers.
But no state has announced a broad private-sector mandate like New York City's, according to data compiled by the nonpartisan National Academy for State Health Policy.
US President Joe Biden sought to impose a less far-reaching mandate nationally, requiring employees of businesses with 100 or more workers to either get vaccinated or undergo regular testing. But federal courts have blocked that plan for now ahead of the Jan. 4 deadline.
De Blasio said he expects his mandate to survive any legal challenges. Employees will be able to ask for religious or medical exemptions.
The mayor said he will release more details next week about how the mandate will be enforced.
About 5.9 million of the 7 million adults aged 18 and over in New York City have gotten at least a first dose. That translates to 84%. About 5.8 million New Yorkers of all ages are fully vaccinated.
Cases of the Omicron variant have been reported in about one-third of the states, but scientists cannot say for certain yet whether it is more dangerous than previous versions.
US health experts have strongly urged people to get their shots and a booster, saying they believe the vaccine will still offer protection against the new variant.
The Delta variant still accounts for practically all infections in the US, and a rise in cases in recent weeks has swamped hospitals, especially in the Midwest and New England.
New York City is averaging just under 2,000 new cases of COVID-19 per day, up from about 820 a day at the start of November.
"Vaccination is the central weapon in this war against COVID. It's the one thing that has worked every single time across the board," de Blasio said at a virtual news conference.
"A lot of folks to me in the private sector have said to me they believe in vaccination, but they're not quite sure how they can do it themselves," he continued. "Well, we're going to do it."
Vaccinations are already required in New York City for hospital and nursing home workers and for city employees, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters. A vaccination mandate for employees of private and religious schools was announced last week.
Some other private-sector employees, including those at restaurants, gyms, theaters, and other entertainment sites, were also required to be vaccinated under rules issued earlier by the mayor.
De Blasio, who leaves office at the end of the month and has indicated he may seek the nomination for governor of New York next year, has sought to portray himself as a national leader in the fight against COVID-19. His other vaccine mandates have largely survived legal challenges, and he has credited the policy with raising vaccination rates among the reluctant.
The new mandate takes effect days before de Blasio leaves office and Democrat Eric Adams is due to be sworn in. Evan Thies, a spokesman for Adams, said in a statement that the mayor-elect "will evaluate this mandate and other COVID strategies when he is in office and make determinations based on science, efficacy, and the advice of health professionals."
The Greater New York Chamber of Commerce, which includes some 30,000 businesses big and small, said it supports the tightened measures.
But other industry groups said the plan would add to the strain on businesses still struggling to recover from the pandemic and find enough employees.
Kathryn Wylde, president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, a leading business group, said it is unclear who will enforce the mandate and whether it is even legal.
"It is hard to imagine that the mayor can do what the president is being challenged to accomplish," Wylde said.
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