Seven more Israelis were diagnosed with coronavirus on Thursday, a day after the government announced harsher restriction on all travelers in and out of the country.
Patients 51 through 58 are from throughout the country and contracted the potentially lethal virus in various means. Patient No. 51, from Israel’s southern region, is the first patient to have returned to the country from Azerbaijan. He landed home on February 27.
Patient No. 52 is in his 80s from Ma’ale Adumim. He was in contact with patient No. 28, a 60-year-old man from Jerusalem who was in contact with a coronavirus patient from France who was in the city last week.
Patients No. 53 and 58 are both from central Israel. No. 53 is in his 40s and returned to Israel from Munich on February 27. No. 58 recently traveled to Austria. The man returned to Israel on March 7 and immediately entered quarantine. The Health Ministry described him as in good health.
Patients No. 54 and 55 are in their mid-30s. They returned to Israel from Germany on March 6 and have been in isolation since then.
Patient No. 56 is a 66-year-old individual from Jerusalem who was in close contact with a known patient, and patient No. 57 is an individual in his 30s who also came in contact with someone who has the virus.
The newly diagnosed patients were announced less than 24 hours since the government released a set of new restrictions on the country, including that all people entering Israel from abroad will be required to spend 14 days in home isolation.
“After a day of complex discussions, we have made a decision: Whoever arrives in Israel from abroad will enter quarantine for 14 days,” Netanyahu said in a video statement Monday. “This is a difficult decision but it is essential to maintaining public health, which takes precedence over everything.”
He said that the decision will be in effect for two weeks and then be re-evaluated.
So far, Israel knows the epidemiology of all of the people diagnosed except one, patient No. 29, who works for Magen David Adom. On Monday, days after he was diagnosed with coronavirus, his wife and two children were announced to have it, too.
The family is from the small settlement of Einav, where the wife works as a preschool teacher. As a result, more than 100 people, including 33 toddlers, were instructed on Tuesday to go into quarantine.
Two more people are scheduled to enter quarantine in Israel this week, after spending more than one month in quarantine in a military hospital outside of Tokyo.
The first Israelis to be diagnosed with coronavirus while aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship – Oded and Rochela Ofarim from Kibbutz Givat Hashlosha – have been confirmed healthy by Japan’s medical officials and will soon leave the Asian country.
According to the spokesperson, the couple has been undergoing regular testing throughout their stay.
In accordance with Health Ministry guidelines, the couple will enter home-isolation for 14 days upon arrival back in Israel.
Two other Israelis had been treated at the military hospital, too, but were released earlier this month.
As the crisis increases worldwide with more than 100,000 people diagnosed with COVID-19, Knesset leaders are calling on factions to come together.
““Israel is experiencing a health crisis that cannot be appropriately managed without parliamentary oversight,” said MK Avi Nissenkorn on Tuesday, noting that the Blue and White Party that he represents is working to establish a parliamentary committee to deal with coronavirus as soon as the plenary convenes this coming Monday.
“This worsening crisis requires all Knesset members to put politics aside and to work together for the health of Israeli citizens and the protection of our economy,” Nissenkorn said. “I call upon all faction heads to support this initiative.”
On the same day, Prof. Avishai Ellis, secretary of the Internal Medicine Association, echoed Nissenkorn’s sentiments in a letter that he penned to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White head Benny Gantz asking them to “put aside political disputes at a time like this and work together to establish a Knesset health committee next week!”
The Knesset plenary is scheduled to come together next Monday, March 16, for its swearing in ceremony. Due to the spread of the coronavirus, media has been uninvited to the event. In addition, families and other supporters were asked not to attend due to the threat of infection.
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