In an effort to contain an outbreak of the deadly coronavirus, the Health Ministry has issued a directive ordering anyone who recently entered Israel after having visited China to quarantine themselves for a period of at least 14 days in either a place of residence or in a medical facility.
The directive also instructs those who came in close contact with anyone who recently visited China to also quarantine themselves.
According to the Health Ministry directive, which will remain in effect for at least the next 30 days, those who require quarantining and choose to do so a place of residence must both inform the ministry of their exact location and remain their at all times for 14 days.
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Tomer Noy, an Israeli living in China, arrives at Ben-Gurion Airport amid the coronavirus outbreak
(Photo: Eli Mandelbaum)
Furthermore, those under quarantine must remain in a well-ventilated room separate from the rest of the household for the entire 14 days. If contact with the quarantined is necessary for any reason, surgical masks and gloves must be worn.
Additionally, the quarantined person cannot leave the specified area except to go to hospital for further treatment.
"As of today, there isn't a vaccination or a known treatment for the spread of the coronavirus," said Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov. "The goal of the directive is to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Israel."
Even so, police are not expected to take legal measures against anyone who violates the warrant.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Sunday that despite Israel's best efforts to prevent the virus from spreading to the country, the pathogen would ultimately find its way in.
Netanyahu convened a large-scale discussion at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem; including ministers, ministry director generals and relevant staff officials on national preparations to deal with the coronavirus.
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Chinese soldiers arriving at the city of Wuhan where the virus outbreak began
(Photo: Reuters)
As of Sunday, the number of fatalities from the virus stood at 362 people, all in China save for one person in the Philippines. The number of infected stands at 17,000 people, most also in China, and has spread to 24 countries.