After five more Israelis were diagnosed with the coronavirus on Friday and Motzei Shabbos, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated that the coronavirus outbreak is a global pandemic and that there is no basis to the assumption that the virus will disappear when the weather grows warmer. The prime minister also warned that the virus is now spreading to Africa and no one knows how the pandemic will end. Netanyahu said that the government is working on a multifaceted plan to address the coronavirus crisis, including disinfecting public areas such as train stations and bus stations, opening a line of credit for affected businesses and enlisting the Air Force to ensure Israel has essential supplies. The director-general of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov, indicated Saturday night that Israel was about to place restrictions on flights arriving from some parts of the US. Israel would not take action against all flights from the US, but would act on a state-by-state basis, he said. Specifying flights from New York, Washington, DC, and California, he said a decision would be announced later Saturday or Sunday. Following the speech, the Health Ministry announced that three more Israelis have been diagnosed with the virus, bring the number of confirmed cases in Israel to 25. One patient, a Tel Aviv resident returned from Venice on February 22 on EasyJet flight EJU3342 and has been in self-quarantine since then, only leaving his house to vote at an “isolation voting booth” on March 2. Another patient, a resident of central Israel, returned from Athens, Greece on February 27 on Aegean flight A3924. The third patient flew to Madrid on February 28 on Arkia flight IZ231 and returned on Arkia flights SN3728 from Madrid to Brussels and SN3293 from Brussels to Tel Aviv. Director-General of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said that Israel is seriously considering placing restrictions on flights from some parts of the US on a state to state basis. In an interview with Channel 12 News, Bar Siman-Tov said that the Health Ministry is currently only considering banning US travelers from Washington, New York and California and that the decision will be made on late Saturday night or Sunday. The countries of Norway, Belgium, and the Netherlands may also be added to the list, Bar Siman-Tov said. On Motzei Shabbos, a 50-year-old resident of central Israel who returned to Israel from Barcelona on March 1 on El Al flight LY394 was diagnosed with the virus, Israel’s Health Ministry stated. בהלת הקורונה: החולה ה-22 היה על טיסת אל על לברצלונה ובחזרהhttps://t.co/Qtp3mlkbi7<< pic.twitter.com/9uBkgJVr47 — ערוץ 20 (@arutz20) March 7, 2020 Four Israelis were diagnosed on Friday. One patient, a Haifa resident in his 30s, returned to Israel from Austria on March 1, and a second patient, a resident of central Israel, returned from Madrid on March 2. The third patient, in his 50s, returned from Zurich on March 4th and the fourth patient, also a resident of central Israel in his 50s, returned from Madrid on February 27. Also, the Health Ministry said a French tourist who was in Israel last week on a brief one-day visit was diagnosed with the virus upon returning to Italy. The tourist flew to Israel on Sunday, March 1 on Transavia flight 3930 and returned on Transavia flight 3933 the next […]
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