The US State Department has added Israel to its list of “Level Four: Do Not Travel” nations, along with 115 other countries.
The State Department claimed there is a “very high level” of COVID-19 in the Jewish State and in UK, both of which have recently reopened their economies after an extended period of restrictions.
In Israel, just one designated coronavirus unit remains open: at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, where three patients were admitted this week for treatment of COVID-19. None of the three were vaccinated, although one patient, 88 years old and post-surgery, said he had no time to get the vaccine. All three patients require oxygen at present.
It’s not clear what prompted the State Department to add the Jewish State to a “Level 4” list which includes a total of 148 nations as of Tuesday’s update.
Nevertheless, Americans are not legally barred from traveling to Israel or the UK, or any of the other 114 countries added to the US “Level 4” travel warning.
China and Japan remain at “Level 3: Reconsider Travel,” according to Reuters.