It was an unusual press conference for a Friday afternoon, just before the start of the Sabbath Nov. 26. A stern-faced Prime Minister Naftali Bennett appeared before the cameras to announce that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus had reached Israel from South Africa and recommended that Israelis avoid flying overseas because of it.
With Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz at his side, Bennett told the public that the government was even considering shutting down Israeli airspace. In a dramatic tone, he said that the country is facing an entirely new situation with this new variant of the virus, and that it is especially worrying. Then, just a moments later, he congratulated himself on his rapid response to the situation. “The good news,” he said, “is that Israel woke up early. The first in the world. Our entire system is on alert, all our headquarters are ready and open. We won’t take risks. It is better to act quickly and decisively now, than to procrastinate with our decision-making and to wake up when Israel is already inundated with cases and entirely 'red.'”
