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Geneva, Apr 13 (AFP) The World Health Organization said on Monday that a safe and effective vaccine would be needed to fully halt the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 114,000 people worldwide. "Our global connectedness means the risk of re-introduction and resurgence of COVID19 will continue," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual briefing from Geneva, stressing that "ultimately, the development and delivery of a safe and effective vaccine will be needed to fully interrupt transmission." (AFP)  ZHZH

Vaccine needed to fully halt spread of COVID-19: WHO

New York, June 13 (IANS) Not wearing a face mask dramatically increases a person's chances of being infected by the Covid-19 virus, warn researchers. For the findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined the chances of Covid-19 infection and how the virus is easily passed from person to person. From trends and mitigation procedures in China, Italy and New York City, the researchers found that using a face mask reduced the number of infections by more than 78,000 in Italy from April 6-May 9 and by over 66,000 in New York City from April 17-May 9. "Our results clearly show that airborne transmission via respiratory aerosols represents the dominant route for the spread of Covid-19," said study researcher Renyi Zhang from Texas A&amp;M University in the US. "By analysing the pandemic trends without face-covering using the statistical method and by projecting the trend, we calculated that over 66,000 infections were prevented by using a face mask in little over a month in New York City," Zhang added. This inexpensive practice, in conjunction with social distancing and other procedures, is the most likely opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, the researchers said. The study showed very clearly that using a face mask is not only useful to prevent infected coughing droplets from reaching uninfected persons but is also crucial for these uninfected persons to avoid breathing the minute atmospheric particles (aerosols). The researchers said that many people in China have worn face masks for years, mainly because of the bad air quality of the country. "So people there are sort of used to this," he said. "Mandated face-covering helped China in containing the COVID-19 outbreak," Zhang said. According to the team, the results should send a clear message to people worldwide -- wearing a face mask is essential in fighting the virus. "Social-distancing and washing our hands must continue, but that's not sufficient enough protection. Wearing a face mask as well as practising good hand hygiene and social distancing will greatly reduce the chances of anyone contracting the Covid-19 virus," Zhang wrote. The researchers concluded that wearing a face mask in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent inter-human transmission. --IANS bu/prs

Face masks critical in preventing the spread of Covid-19: Study

Union <keyword id="6356374" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="health-minister" source="Orion">Health Minister</keyword> Mansukh Mandaviya is scheduled to hold a virtual meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday. The IMA informed that Mandaviya will hold the meeting via video conferencing at 4 pm regarding the <keyword id="15884888" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19-situation-and-preparedness" source="Orion">Covid-19 situation and preparedness</keyword>. On Saturday, Mandaviya said that the government has been working to control the <keyword id="8913021" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="spread-of-covid-19" source="Orion">spread of Covid-19</keyword> and urged the people to wear masks and follow covid appropriate behaviour. "We are working on alert mode to control the spread of Covid-19 and are conducting environmental, sewage and human surveillance. Virus RNA was found in the sewage samples in Delhi and Mumbai," Mandaviya had said. He further urged the people to wear masks, avoid crowded places and follow Covid-appropriate behaviour. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday decided to hold mock drills at all health facilities across the country on December 27 in the wake of the COVID alarm due to a surge in infection in many countries. This is to ensure readiness in the availability of oxygen support, and ICU beds among other preparedness measures in case of a surge of COVID cases in India. According to the Ministry, the objective of the exercise is to ensure the operational readiness of these health facilities for the management of COVID. Detailing the focus on the parameters during the mock drills, it said that the main focus will be on the bed capacities including isolation, oxygen-supported and ICU beds at the health facilities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday (December 22) to assess the COVID-19 situation in the country and cautioned against complacency while laying stress on testing and strengthening the surveillance measures, especially at international airports. He emphasized COVID-appropriate behavior at all times, especially in view of the upcoming festive season, including wearing masks in crowded public places. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Miniter Mansukh Mandaviya and NITI Aayog Chief Executive Officer Parameswaran Iyer were among others who participated in the meeting. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/bsip-study-mangroves-shrinking-in-india-due-to-climate-change/articleshow/96511070.cms">BSIP Study: Mangroves shrinking in India due to climate change</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/pm-modi-tells-people-to-be-vigilant-as-covid-cases-were-rising-in-many-countries/articleshow/96493073.cms">PM Modi tells people to be vigilant as Covid cases were rising in many countries</a>

Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to hold meeting with Indian Medical Association today

Toronto, May 8 () Temperature and latitude are not associated with the spread of COVID-19 disease, according to a global study that found school closures and other public health measures are having a positive effect on containing the novel coronavirus. The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, looked at 144 geopolitical areas -- states and provinces in Australia, the US, and Canada as well as various countries around the world -- and a total of over 3,75,600 confirmed COVID-19 cases. The researchers said China, Italy, Iran and South Korea were excluded because the virus was either waning in the case of China or in full disease outbreak at the time of the analysis in others. "Our study provides important new evidence, using global data from the COVID-19 epidemic, that these public health interventions have reduced epidemic growth," said Peter Juni from the University of Toronto, and St. Michael's Hospital in Canada. To estimate epidemic growth, the researchers compared the number of cases on March 27 with those on March 20. They determined the influence of latitude, temperature, humidity, school closures, restrictions of mass gatherings and social distancing measured during the exposure period of March 7 to 13. The study found little or no association between latitude or temperature with epidemic growth of COVID-19, and a weak association between humidity and reduced transmission. The results -- that hotter weather had no effect on the pandemic's progression -- surprised the researchers. "We had conducted a preliminary study that suggested both latitude and temperature could play a role. But when we repeated the study under much more rigorous conditions, we got the opposite result," said Juni. The researchers did find that public health measures, including school closures, social distancing and restrictions of large gatherings, have been effective. "Our results are of immediate relevance as many countries, and some Canadian provinces and territories, are considering easing or removing some of these public health interventions," said Juni. "Summer is not going to make this go away," said Professor Dionne Gesink, a coauthor and epidemiologist at Dalla Lana School of Public Health in Canada. "It's important people know that. On the other hand, the more public health interventions an area had in place, the bigger the impact on slowing the epidemic growth. "These public health interventions are really important because they're the only thing working right now to slow the epidemic," Gesink said. The researchers noted several study limitations, such as differences in testing practices, the inability to estimate actual rates of COVID-19 and compliance with social distancing. When deciding how to lift restrictions, governments and public health authorities should carefully weigh the impact of these measures against potential economic and mental health harms and benefits, they said. SARSAR

Hotter, humid weather may not halt spread of COVID-19: Study

New Delhi, April 21 () Consumer robotics firm Milagrow on Tuesday said two its robots will be tried at the advanced COVID-19 ward of AIIMS Delhi to contain the spread of the pandemic amongst doctors and healthcare workers.The Milagrow iMap 9 is a floor disinfecting robot that can navigate and sanitize the floors without any human intervention.It destroys COVID spores on floor surfaces using sodium hypochlorite solution, as recommended by ICMR, Milagrow said in a statement. The Milagrow Humanoid ELF enables doctors to monitor and interact with contagious COVID-19 patients remotely with no person-to-person contact, thereby significantly reducing the transmission risk, it added."Milagrow Floor Robot iMap9.0 &amp; Milagrow Humanoid will be tried at AIIMS Hospital, New Delhi," AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria said. Milagrow Robots is very happy to support AIIMS in its effort to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and will work closely to develop more products based on the feedback of actual conditions, Milagrow Founder Chairman Rajeev Karwal said."As the outbreak continues to rise alarmingly, our state-of-the-art robots will help check the virus spread and protect the doctors, nurses and caregivers from getting infected," he added. AKT RUJ

Milagrow to test robots at AIIMS to contain spread of COVID-19

Europe is slaughtering millions of mink to curb the spread of COVID-19

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="4662" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Mink">Mink</keyword> around the world are getting infected with a mutated strain of the coronavirus.</li><li>After hundreds of human coronavirus cases in <keyword id="49968" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Denmark">Denmark</keyword> were linked to the animals, the government ordered the culling of its entire population of 17 million mink in early November. </li><li>Some mink breeders and lawmakers protested the decision, demanding farmers be compensated for the slaughtering.</li><li>Denmark is the world's largest exporter of mink fur, and many fear that this move could mean the end of the mink industry in Europe.</li></ul>Millions of mink could have <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword>. And European authorities are slaughtering them out of fear that they'll spread a mutated strain of the virus to people.In northern <keyword id="6357856" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Greece">Greece</keyword>, that's already happened."We were notified by the breeder that he was positive after he took a test," said Theofilos Katzoglou, chief veterinarian for the region of Kozani, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/news/picture/denmark-culls-mink-over-coronavirus-muta-idUSRTX88LJL">told Reuters</a>.And in Denmark, too, where hundreds of human infections related to mink have farmers scrambling."We were told that we should gas all our mink," farmer Hans Henrik Jeppesen told Reuters. "We have no corona in the farm now, but the faster we can do it, the better."The order to cull <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/denmark-mink-covid-19-mutation-cull-minks-restart-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-11">came from the Danish government</a> in early November. "We have chosen to take extensive and comprehensive measures in the current situation — culling of 17 million mink, effectively shutting down the entire industry for now in Denmark," Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said last month. "This is not a decision that has been taken lightly, but it is a necessary precaution."<div type="image" title="BIT_1127_COVIDMINKS_v1.00_00_29_08.Still007" height="1080" width="1920" msid="79535846" hostid="261"></div>But the decision wasn't entirely well received. Hundreds of Danish farmers and mink breeders have since taken to the streets to protest, driving their tractors past government offices. Backlash has also come from some lawmakers, who argue there was no legal basis for a nationwide order to slaughter and that farmers should have been compensated first.Denmark has been the world's largest exporter of mink fur for decades, with thousands employed in the industry. For many whose livelihoods depend on the global fur market, losing an entire population of mink is devastating."I don't know what I should say. It's been hard for us to not have our animals," Jeppesen said. "Every day we go out to check on our animals, how they are doing, their health, and all these things. That's what we do every day. So it's not fun. It's not fun. It's not fun."Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen felt their pain during a visit to a family's farm."We have two generations of really skilled mink farmers, father and son, who in a very, very short time have had their life's work shattered," she said. "And that — it's been emotional for them."Although the Danish health ministry recently said that the virus detected in mink farms has now likely been contained, the country is still <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/denmark-mink-cull-mutant-covid-19-strain-extinct-ireland-2020-11">deploying its armed forces</a> to help finish off all 17 million animals.Denmark isn't alone in its sacrifice of mink to protect humans from the coronavirus. The Netherlands, Spain, and Ireland are culling to curb outbreaks too, signalling what could be the beginning of the end of the mink business in Europe.

<ul><li>The <keyword id="6355244" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="study">study</keyword>, published in the journal Lancet Digital Health, that evidence around the effectiveness of automated contact tracing systems is currently very limited.</li><li>In total, 4,033 papers were reviewed, which allowed researchers to identify 15 papers with useful data.</li><li>The seven studies that addressed automated contact tracing directly were modelling studies that all focused on <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="covid-19">Covid-19</keyword>.</li></ul> Researchers have claimed that contract tracing apps being used to reduce the spread of Covid-19 are unlikely to be effective without proper uptake and support from concurrent control measures. The study, published in the journal Lancet Digital Health, that evidence around the effectiveness of automated contact tracing systems is currently very limited. The researchers stressed that large-scale manual contact tracing alongside other public health control measures - such as physical distancing and closure of indoor spaces such as pubs - is likely to be required in conjunction with automated approaches. The team found 15 relevant studies by reviewing more than 4,000 papers on automated and partially-automated contact tracing and analysed these to understand the potential impact these tools could have in controlling the Covid-19 pandemic. "The review shows that, at present, there is insufficient evidence to justify reliance on automated contact tracing approaches without additional extensive public health control measures," said study lead author Isobel Braithwaite from the University College London in the UK. In total, 4,033 papers were reviewed, which allowed researchers to identify 15 papers with useful data. The seven studies that addressed automated contact tracing directly were modelling studies that all focused on Covid-19. Five studies of partially-automated contact tracing were descriptive observational studies or case studies, and three studies of automated contact detection looked at a similar disease context to Covid-19 but did not include subsequent tracing or contact notification. "Partially-automated systems may have some automated processes, for instance in determining the duration of follow-up of contacts required, but do not use the proximity of smartphones as a proxy for contact with an infected person". Analysis of automated contact tracing apps generally suggested that high population uptake of relevant apps is required alongside other control measures, while partially-automated systems often had better follow-up and slightly more timely intervention. "Although automated contact tracing shows some promise in helping reduce transmission of Covid-19 within communities, our research highlighted the urgent need for further evaluation of these apps within public health practice, Dr Braithwaite said. "As none of the studies we found provided real-world evidence of their effectiveness, and to improve our understanding of how they could support manual contact tracing systems," Braithwaite noted. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/economy/news/these-are-the-20-countries-with-the-highest-gold-reserves/articleshow/77605753.cms">These are the 20 countries with the highest gold reserves</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/these-are-the-top-20-cleanest-cities-in-india-in-2020/articleshow/77650052.cms">These are the top 20 cleanest cities in India— Indore tops the list for fourth year in a row</a>

Contact tracing apps may not contain COVID-19 spread, says researchers

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/contact-tracing">Contact tracing</a> has become a major tactic around the world in tracking and containing the spread of the <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus">coronavirus</a>.</li><li>While effective in other countries, the United States has yet to deploy <keyword id="7313056" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Contact-tracing">contact tracing</keyword> at scale. </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/website-shows-what-smartphones-see-with-bluetooth-contact-tracing-video-2020-4">Location data tracking </a>and sharing might be one way to utilize technology to help trace the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> spread.</li><li>This push for more data has led to larger discussions about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/california-ccpa-data-privacy-startups-compliance-55-billion-2020-1">laws protecting users' privacy and data.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul>Following is a transcription of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>: Narrator: As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, one tactic in particular, called contact tracing, has been highly effective in countries like Taiwan, Singapore, and Iceland. But there is a trade-off. Contact tracing asks us all to share data with the government and corporations, information that some people prefer to keep private. So the question becomes: How much privacy would you be willing to trade to save lives?The specifics of contact tracing vary by country, but the basics remain the same. Step one: identify and isolate confirmed cases of COVID-19. Step two: trace their movement and contact with others backwards, finding people who may be at risk without knowing it. Step three: quarantine and track the movements of confirmed cases going forward.Syra Madad: It's a very lengthy process that requires many different steps, but at the end what you're trying to achieve is to break that chain of transmission, so that way you don't have new outbreaks, if you will, or new cases of the disease itself.Narrator: Rather than spending time treating new cases, contact tracing allows officials to stop the spread of the virus in the first place. That's how countries that have implemented contact tracing have been able to flatten the curve. This requires a lot of manpower. It also requires a monumental amount of data, which is where the issue of privacy comes into play.To make contact tracing truly effective, it is important to have verifiable records of people's whereabouts and contact with others. Some countries have developed apps that trace your cellphone's GPS signal, thus keeping a log of every place you've been. To many, that might sound like the start of a dystopian horror movie: the government tracking your every move and knowing everyone you speak with. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic seems straight out of a horror film itself, and the results of contact tracing speak for themselves.Take Singapore for example. The number of confirmed cases in the country is around 4,500 as of April 16, despite being relatively near China, the country where experts believe the virus originated. Singapore was aggressive in adopting contact tracing. The country utilized the national health service, police detectives, and a contact-tracing app to track the spread of the virus. Their contact-tracing program was so effective that about 40% of people in the first wave of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country discovered that they had been exposed to the virus when they received a phone call from Singapore's Ministry of Health. The call informed them of when, where, and how they came into contact with the virus and told them to be tested and isolated.Meanwhile, in the United States, government authorities have not yet aggressively pursued contact tracing as a tactic to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, despite the fact that there are now more confirmed cases in the US than any other country in the world. We saw this play out in New York City, where the first confirmed case of the novel coronavirus was diagnosed on March 1. Just a week prior, the woman who tested positive had returned to New York from Doha, Qatar, landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Public officials promised to track down every person who had been aboard her flight to identify other potential cases. But according to The New York Times, that never happened.A lack of available tests and the uniquely dense population of New York City also contributed to the rapid spread of the virus in the city and the state, where more than 240,000 cases have now been reported. And while New York did engage in contact tracing to an extent, it was nowhere near as vigorous as in countries where the practice has been highly effective.Madad: China, for example, implemented a huge workforce, and they were able to do tens of thousands of contact tracing every single day. We do not have that infrastructure here in the United States yet. Another thing to note is that they were just doing in a very small area of China. We would need to do it throughout the United States because we are having hot spots throughout the United States.Narrator: In New York City, where the population is over 8.3 million, 50 disease detectives were deployed to trace the spread of the virus in the early days of the outbreak. That's only one disease detective for every 166,000 people. Wuhan, China, where the crisis is thought to have originated, has a slightly higher population. There, more than 9,000 disease detectives were deployed to trace known cases. This disparity is not unique to New York, however. In the United States, only about 3,600 disease detectives have been trained by the Epidemic Intelligence Service program since 1951. That's for a population of over 329 million people.While manual contact tracing is important, data helps. Singapore has released an app that not only tracks users' location, but also uses Bluetooth to record proximity to others who are using the app. And though manual contact tracing may not be as robust in the United States, data collection certainly is. Citizens' movements are on full display via Silicon Valley companies big and small. Lesser-known entities like Cuebiq and Unacast have already been providing tracking data to the public. And while Unacast collects its data via an opt-in app, Cuebiq says only that it relies on "Cuebiq's first party data" to create its interactive map. So, with the technology and data for contact tracing readily available, the question remains, why was the US so slow to adopt contact tracing on a wider scale?The answer may be our own rights to privacy and how dearly we hold them. Americans' attitudes about their private data being shared are well documented. Wiretapping phones of American citizens was a hot-button political issue in the not-so-distant past. And, more recently, large corporations mining us for data has come to the forefront of the national consciousness. Those attitudes may shift as the COVID-19 crisis continues.Madad: So, in order for us to get to a post-coronavirus-disease era where we're able to lift some of these social-distancing restrictions and, you know, for all intents and purposes, resume whatever our normal lives would look like, we need to make sure we're able to implement rigorous contact tracing to be able to isolate those individuals and quarantine individuals that may have the disease itself.Narrator: While a recent poll showed that a majority of Americans agree that measures like closing schools and businesses are necessary to combat the coronavirus, they also share a desire to return the day-to-day operations of the country to as close to normal as possible as soon and as safely as possible. At the same time, health experts predict a second wave of the virus to hit sometime in 2020 or 2021. So offering up our location information might be the best way to get through this.Madad: Safeguarding privacy is something that is going to be a huge roadblock. But, at the same time, I think that we're living in a very technology-savvy society where we should be able to, with some degree, you know, work around that. I think we can have this even as a voluntary basis. Being able to consent, in a way, in letting them know this is obviously what's great not just for them, but for the greater community if we wanna resume our normal life, whatever that's, again, gonna look like, you know, this is something that needs to be done.Narrator: The tech world has already started to publicly collect this data. Facebook's Data for Good program has created data maps that show distributions of people reporting COVID symptoms, density of at-risk populations, areas that are socially connected to current hot spots, and more. Apple and Google have announced plans for a joint venture to create an opt-in contact-tracing app that would be compatible with both Apple and Android phones. But with this push for more government access to location-tracking data also comes another push for more user protection. As of now, there are no comprehensive federal laws around data privacy in the United States. It's happened only on a state level.In 2018, the California Consumer Privacy Act was enacted, giving California users the legal right to know what data is collected, the right to delete personal information held by businesses, and the right to opt out of the sale of personal information. Other states are following California's lead. Nevada passed similar legislation, and New York, Texas, and Washington have also proposed legislation similar to California's privacy act. In other states, legal rights to data privacy are not nearly as clear or strong. So in the case of the US, what we do know is that large amounts of data, including location tracking, are already being collected. The questions become what we as a nation will do with that data to confront the COVID-19 crisis, whether the public is willing to release it, and how we will protect that data going forward.Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-contact-tracing-works-to-stop-coronavirus-spread-2020-4">Business Insider</a>

How location data can help track and stop the spread of COVID-19

New Delhi, Apr 24 () Tata Trusts on Friday said it has started a nationwide community outreach campaign to induce adoption of health practices, as promoted by the government, in rural areas to prevent the spread of COVID-19.Beginning March 31, the exercise is expected to have already reached about 1.2 crore people across 21 states, Tata Trusts said in a statement.The campaign '5 Kadam, Corona Mukt Jeevan', ranges from video messages in various local languages, even dialects, short animation videos and infographics to audio messages, and SMS-based messaging, it added.Tata Trusts said it has made publicly available through social media about 300 such videos and audio messages, in different languages, and dialects like Dongri, Kumaoni, Ladakhi, Garhwali, Santhali, Mundari, Kutchi (Gujarat) and Koborok (Tripura). Over 70 celebrities, including Nana Patekar, Harbhajan Singh, Atul Kulkarni and Sonali Kulkarni , have lent their support with video and audio messages, it added.Further, the Trusts have deployed more than 430 master trainers in these 21 states who in turn have trained a pool of over 8,700 community resource persons (village volunteers) to deliver the message, it said."Through existing programmes, volunteers, associate organisations, community radios, village-based public address systems, and use of various internet and communication technologies, the programme is expected to have reached out to about 1.2 crore people till date," Tata Trusts said. MSS RUJRUJ

Tata Trusts commences pan India campaign to prevent spread of COVID-19

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6355882" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="israel">Israel</keyword> will ban inbound and outbound flights by foreign airlines to slow the spread of <keyword id="8763838" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="covid-19">COVID-19</keyword> strains.</li><li>Haaretz reported the freeze will take effect early Tuesday morning and last until January 31. </li><li>Emergency medical flights, firefighting planes, and legal <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> will be permitted, according to the report.</li></ul>Israel will ban foreign airlines from flying in and out of the country until January 31 to curtail the spread of new COVID-19 strains.The country's cabinet on Sunday approved plans to freeze flights starting at midnight between Monday and Tuesday, <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-netanyahu-to-call-for-closing-israel-s-airport-to-curb-spread-of-covid-mutations-1.9477472">Haaretz</a> reported Sunday. Flights leaving the country will only be approved in rare instances. Firefighting planes, emergency medical flights, and cargo aircraft won't be affected by the policy. Domestic airlines will also face some new restrictions.Prime Minister <keyword id="6358722" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="benjamin-netanyahu">Benjamin Netanyahu</keyword> praised the new travel policy, saying in a government meeting "no nation has done what we are about to do," according to Haaretz."We are hermetically sealing the country," he added.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/next-generation-covid-19-vaccines-pipeline-challenges-promise-2021-1">More than 200 coronavirus vaccines are still in development as the initial vaccine rollout ramps up. Here's how experts anticipate 2021 playing out.</a>While several countries have reinstated <keyword id="162523" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel-restrictions">travel restrictions</keyword> to slow the virus's spread, Israel's latest motion is among the strictest actions yet. Many countries are now <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-require-a-negative-covid-19-test-from-international-travelers-2021-1">requiring passengers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test</a> before flying internationally.Flights leaving Israel for legal or medical reasons will be permitted, as will those for family funerals or relocations. Travel for personal or humanitarian needs will require approval by the government's directors-general of health and <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword>, Haaretz reported.The flight halt also marks the first time that Jewish people won't be able to immigrate to Israel unless it's "a matter of life or death," transportation minister Miri Regev reportedly said in the meeting.The harsher travel restrictions come as new variants of COVID-19 rapidly spread around the world. A new, more contagious strain <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boris-johnson-uk-coronavirus-variant-may-have-higher-mortality-rate-2021-1">that originated in the United Kingdom</a> has already affected several in Israel and could fuel a new wave of cases. The country's Health Ministry said Saturday that <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/british-covid-strain-found-in-6-pregnant-women-hospitalized-in-serious-condition/">six out of seven hospitalized pregnant women</a> were found to have been infected with the UK strain.Separately, one of Israel's biggest health insurers recently warned of the variant's spread. Leumit Health Maintenance Office CEO Haim Fernandes said last week that up to half of its tested members had caught the UK strain, Haaretz reported.Israel reported 4,933 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday, <a href="https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/region/israel">according to Johns Hopkins University data</a>. Since the pandemic's onset last year, the country has seen more than 4,300 virus-related deaths.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-executive-orders-abortion-gender-lgbtq-transgender-rights-trump-2021-1">From abortion care to LGBTQ rights, here's how Joe Biden is prepared to tear up Donald Trump's restrictive gender policies</a>

You Searched For "spread of covid 19" and got 11 results

Vaccine needed to fully halt spread of COVID-19: WHO

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Face masks critical in preventing the spread of Covid-19: Study

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Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to hold meeting with Indian Medical Association today

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Hotter, humid weather may not halt spread of COVID-19: Study

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Milagrow to test robots at AIIMS to contain spread of COVID-19

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Europe is slaughtering millions of mink to curb the spread of COVID-19

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Europe is slaughtering millions of mink to curb the spread of COVID-19

Hannah Jiang,Kaitlyn Wang

Contact tracing apps may not contain COVID-19 spread, says researchers

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How location data can help track and stop the spread of COVID-19

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Tata Trusts commences pan India campaign to prevent spread of COVID-19

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Israel is freezing flights in and out of the country to slow the spread of COVID-19 strains

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