Israel plans to reopen to travelers from most countries on January 9.

Israel effectively banned all foreign arrivals in late November amid reports of Omicron coronavirus infections around the world.

Israeli health officials said on Monday that the ban will be lifted on Sunday for vaccinated people and those who have recovered from COVID-19 from countries considered to be at medium risk.

Local media say Japan, Germany and many other countries belong to the category, but that others including the United States and Britain do not, due to the severity of infections there.

Despite the ban, Israel has seen its case numbers rise. The country's daily tally on Sunday topped 6,000, the highest since September.

But the Israeli government has stopped short of reimposing tough social or economic restrictions such as strict restrictions on outings. Instead, it has been giving fourth vaccine shots to people aged 60 or older and medical workers to prevent infections and keep the economy going.