The politics of the Omicron variant

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Health and science reporter Nathan Jeffay and senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur join host Jessica Steinberg. Jeffay discusses what details are already known about the Omicron variant and how Israeli government officials are working quickly to control its spread in Israel. Rettig Gur and Jeffay reflect on the politics of the government's restrictions, the quick and efficient moves to contain the variant, as well as how that will affect the country and economy in the weeks to come. Discussed articles include: Full text: Israel’s new rules barring foreign tourists, tightening quarantine Israel to bar tourists, renew travel quarantine rules to contain Omicron variant Justice minister: New COVID measures unwarranted without ‘very, very strong reasons’ Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: From left to right: Head of public health services at the Health Ministry Sharon Alroy-Preis, Prime Minister Prime Minister Naftali Bennet, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash hold a press conference in Tel Aviv, November 26, 2021 (Moti Milrod/POOL) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.