Due to Covid, Israel is Banning Travel for Everyone. Except the Universe's Most Gorgeous Women

Ethan Miller. Getty Images.

Newsweek - Despite Israel being one of the first countries to close its borders due to concerns around the new Omicron COVID variant, it is still planning to host a cavalcade of beautiful women at the Miss Universe pageant at the Red Sea resort city of Eilat in December.

Tourism Minister Yoel Razvozov made the announcement on Sunday, a day after Israel said it was banning all foreigners from entering the country.

The minister told reporters that participants at the Miss Universe beauty pageant would be given waivers while possibly undergoing PCR testing every two days, as well as other precautionary measures.

"This is an event that will be broadcast in 174 countries, a very important event, an event that Eilat, too, is very much in need of," Razvozov said before Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting.

Regardless of your stance on Covid restrictions in general or how you feel about travel bans, shutdowns, school closings, mandates, masks, vaccines, therapeutics or any other aspect of our government's responses to the problem, I think we can all be amazed that, 22 months into this problem, we are still dealing with a patchwork approach to solving it. Depending on where you live, there might be total quarantine or a completely open society. Laws against gatherings with more than 10 people or 100,000 seat stadiums filled to capacity. And every hour of every day is a discussion about whose approach is right with no end in sight. 

But if there's one solution to the problem, I think all reasonable people can agree it's this one. Yes, this Omicron variant exists. Yes, it's got to be a problem for someone. No one wants to see any of their fellow world citizens die needlessly. 

And yet the risk of spreading the disease is worth it if it means having the Miss Universe Pageant go off as scheduled. 

As a reminder, is isn't some county fair Miss Agriculture Products contest. It's not some Toddlers & Tiaras thing. Nor is it Miss Luxembourg, Miss Bora Bora or Miss Greenland, with no disrespect to any of those fine nations. This is Miss Universe. We need to conduct this pageant as always because the reputation of our entire world depends on it. Humans have never lost the Miss U. title and we're not about to lose it on Yoel Razvozov's watch, dammit. Sure, you can argue it's because we always have Home Planet Advantage, but that's neither here nor there. The fact is, we need to retain this tiara and sash. 

You might have many questions. Like, if this latest variant is so dangerous, why allow the beauty queens to travel? And if it isn't, then why restrict anyone? Or whether Omicron has been proven to only affect the unattractive, but harmless to women under 25 with perfect bone structure, pert breasts, long legs and the ability to look amazing in evening gowns based on ludicrous national stereotypes?  I'm sure the WHO, the CDC or pageant organizers haven't got the answers to those questions yet and won't for some time. All we know for sure is that the benefits way outweigh the risks. You know whose life I'm willing to risk so we can pass the crown on to Miss Universe 2021?

So thanks to Miss Universe, the Israeli Tourism Minister and anyone else willing to make sure that the show goes on. Somethings are too sacred to be without. Now if we could just extend the travel exemption to allow travel by gorgeous women to anywhere they want to travel to, we'll have finally got this virus thing figured out.