Israel to impose travel ban over new Covid variant

Israel is to ban foreigners from entering the country for 14 days and use surveillance to halt the spread of the new Covid strain.

The ban is expected to come into effect at midnight on Sunday. We'll hear from an Israeli epidemiologist and adviser to the government about the decision.

Also in the programme: an African public health expert tells us how the spread of the new variant is highlighting the importance of global vaccine equity, how the pandemic has left many Australian businesses without enough staff, and the importance of aid in Afghanistan.

Joining Paul Henley to discuss these and other issues are Alev Scott, a Turkish-British writer and journalist, and Kishore Mahbubani, a Singaporean writer and former Ambassador to the United Nations.

Picture shows a passenger with a facemask partially covering their nose and mouth standing in front of signs at Tel Aviv's airport. Credit: Reuters.