Israeli PM: Omicron unstoppable but no need for ‘hysteria’

By LAURIE KELLMAN
Associated Press

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Israel’s prime minister says there’s no need to panic over the ultra-contagious omicron variant. Naftali Bennett said during a Tuesday night press conference that Israel is managing the wave in “the right and responsible way,” by keeping the economy open, protecting the most vulnerable Israelis and urging people to get vaccinated. Bennett ruled out a full lockdown, which he said would not stop the infection’s spread. He said about 400,000 at-risk adults have gotten a fourth vaccination, one reason he said people should have confidence in the government’s management. The variant has set infection records in recent days in the country of 9.4 million people.