Israel’s 29th case of the novel coronavirus became the country’s first reported case with an “unknown” origin on Sunday and on Monday the Health Ministry announced that it was getting closer to understanding more about him – a man in his 40s from the center of the country. Here is where we know he traveled: February 28 between 5 and 6:30 p.m.: Chabad synagogue in Yishuv Einav
February 29 between 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.: Chabad synagogue in Yishuv Einav
March 1 between 5 and 6:30 p.m.: The Osher Ad supermarket in Petah Tikva
March 1 between 7:30 and 9:00 p.m.: BIG mall in Petah Tikva – shopping at Gali shoes, ZARA, Aldo, Spring a sushi restaurant and New Deli sandwich shop
March 2 between 5 and 5:30 p.m.: Voting station in the Yishuv Einav community center
March 3 between 11:00 am. and 12:30 p.m.: Naveh Ora geriatric center on Argaman Street in Jerusalem
March 3 between 12:30 and 1 :30 p.m.: The mall on Shamgar St. in Jerusalem
March 7 between 9 and 10:30 a.m.: Shabbat Zachor prayer service at the Hassidic synagogue in Telz-Stone
March 7 between 7:30 to 8 p.m.: Medical checkup at Elad medical center The Health Ministry is asking that anyone who was in the places he visited at those times enter quarantine.
The infected person was not in quarantine because he did not know that he was sick, meaning that he could have infected many others without realizing it.
The fact that the source of infection is unknown makes connecting and keeping track of cases and preventing new infections much more difficult.
Sunday also marked the first time that there have been 14 new cases in a single day – and the numbers are only expected to rise.
A Health Ministry official told Walla news on Friday that health officials should focus more on the spread within Israel and less on quarantine and the spread coming from other countries.
“We cannot be prisoners to the concept of the political echelon that responds to those entering from outside the country. The virus is here in Israel. We need to identify cases of transfer and to take extreme measures in order to prevent the spread,” Prof. Hagai Levin, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, told Walla.
Levin added that the health system needs manpower, funds and labs, and stressed that there should be less of a focus on border closings and quarantine. “It is very rational to cancel the quarantine on some countries. The quarantine was right in its time,” said Levin. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the country is considering requiring a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers entering the country.
“We estimate that the number will reach thousands, possibly even tens of thousands of patients,” Health Ministry director general Prof. Itamar Grotto said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday. “Unfortunately, the situation is unpreventable. Many of these patients will need to go to the hospital.”
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