Israel will roll out drive-through coronavirus testing stations on Wednesday, according to Magen David Adom. This will allow the country to test as many as 15,000 Israelis per day, according to MDA medical director Refael Strugo – a 1,900% increase in daily screening.
The announcement about the new test came shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting at his office in Jerusalem with top officials to discuss expanding the number of coronavirus tests being taken and potential additional testing methods.
Citizens will arrive at these new drive-through complexes in their private vehicles and the sample will be taken while they’re sitting in the car.
The first 24-hour complex will be set up in Tel Aviv. Five more complexes will then beopened in Haifa, Jerusalem, Petah Tikva, Rishon Lezion and Beersheba. According to MDA, they are expected to reach thousands of Israelis each day even in their first stage.
The complexes will be in open areas, which will allow for continuous entry and exit of vehicles, such as parking for football fields and parking lots. They will be staffed by teams of MDA EMTs and paramedics, members of the Israeli police and security guards. All staff will be dressed in full anti-infection gear.
A release by the organization explained that anyone approved by a physician to be sampled will receive an SMS message with the details and will be asked to arrive at the testing center at a specific time. He or she will undergo an identification process, be tested and then drive directly home.
Patients who are unable to access the complex without the use of public transport will be able to do the sampling in their home, as it has been done so far.
On Monday, Magen David Adom paramedics took samples from 1,085 people nationwide, an increase from the daily average of 750 tests. Until now, MDA has taken around 7,000 tests.
The news of the testing station came on the backdrop of another spike in the number of Israelis infected with COVID-19 and as the government rolled out a series of new restrictions by which the public is asked to adhere.
The new restrictions, meant to fight the spread of the viral disease, include Israelis not being allowed to leave their homes unless “absolutely necessary.”
“Do not leave your home,” said Health Ministry director general Moshe Bar Siman Tov in a video message to the public. “Only go to work… or to purchase essential items, such as groceries, medicine or the like.”
Visiting parks, beaches, pools, libraries and museums is now prohibited as are all social interactions, which the ministry said should be conducted on the phone or by other digital means. Group sports and workout classes are also all cancelled effective immediately.
Elderly people and those with respiratory conditions or weak immune systems should not leave their homes nor should they invite guests over.
ONE DAY after Netanyahu told citizens that the public sector would work in emergency mode but that the private sector could operate at 70%, the new restrictions require that all work that can be should be done from home. If one does have to go into work, all businesses should ensure that employees keep two meters from each other, and that good hygiene is maintained.
All dental procedures should be rescheduled unless it is an emergency.
Delivery services may only bring deliveries to the front door.
“Safeguard yourself,” said Bar Siman Tov. “Anywhere you go there could be a person with coronavirus. You could be infected and put others at risk… Our ability to beat coronavirus is largely dependent on you.”
President Reuven Rivlin also weighed in: “I know very well that being closed up at home is not at all easy. I understand that the children need open spaces and that you parents also need some breathing room. But… the danger is real! Let me ask you again to follow the instructions regarding distancing, and to keep away from gatherings.”
The news of increased restrictions was announced only hours after the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) said that Terminal 1 at Ben-Gurion Airport will close Wednesday until at least the end of April. Local flights from Ramon International Airport near Eilat, which usually arrive at Terminal 1, will now land at Terminal 3.
According to the IAA, there are currently only two daily flights operating between Ramon and Ben-Gurion Airport. On Monday, Israeli airline Arkia said it would be halting operations on the route until after the Passover holiday.
Some 5,891 flights to and from Israel have been cancelled in March alone, leading to a decline of approximately 1.2 million passengers. In January and February combined, a total of 530 flights were cancelled. Of the remaining 2,065 flights scheduled to fly before the end of the month, the IAA “expects many additional cancellations.” Flights still operating are only 47% full on average, down from 76% earlier this year.
The Jerusalem Light Rail will also be reducing ride time. On Thursday it will operate only until 8 p.m. and cease working on the weekend entirely.
Shares on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange climbed slightly on Tuesday, recovering some of the heavy losses endured the day before as the novel coronavirus outbreak continued to instill fear in investors.
At the closing bell, the benchmark TA-35 index climbed 2.12%, and the TA-125 was up by 1.73%, with energy companies among those recording the most significant gains.
OF THE 324 Israelis who have coronavirus, five of them are in serious condition, according to the Health Ministry.
Among the sick are three people who work in the Central Laboratory for Detecting Coronavirus of the Ministry of Health at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer. On Monday, the lab was shut down because its deputy director-general became infected. The new diagnoses include two additional staff members, Kan news reported.
There are five patients in critical condition, nine in moderate and 299 that have mild cases of the virus, according to the ministry report.
So far, 11 Israelis have recovered from COVID-19.
Some 229 people are hospitalized, 23 are expected to be hospitalized and 48 patients are being treated in home isolation. For the patients, a treatment plan has not been decided.
Eight patients were transferred on Tuesday to Tel Aviv’s first recovery hotel, which was inaugurated the same day by Defense Minister Naftali Bennett.
On Sunday night, a senior doctor at Ichilov Hospital was reported by Ynet to have contracted the virus. All the patients in her unit – many of them senior citizens – had to be tested and transferred to another unit, and her staff was sent home to self-isolate. The next morning, an intern in the hospital’s urology department also tested positive for coronavirus.
In addition, the IDF confirmed that patient No. 273 is a 19-year-old soldier from the north of the country. She is in mild condition. The IDF Medical Corps and the Health Ministry are together conducting a comprehensive epidemiological investigation and will share that information soon.
MK Tzachi Hanegbi refrained from attending the Knesset swearing in ceremony on Monday because he feared he had been in contact with someone who might have coronavirus. Hanegbi is waiting for the individual’s test results. In the interim, he is self-isolating.
Furthermore, a report disseminated by Hadassah-University Medical Center in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem shared that the condition of an 89-year-old woman who was infected with coronavirus deteriorated overnight and she is considered in critical condition.
So far, no one in Israel has die from the coronavirus.
On Thursday at 6 p.m., Israelis will applaud Israeli medical teams for two minutes by stepping out on their balconies or into their private gardens, front yards or open windows and cheering their efforts.
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