A second ward at Tel Aviv's top hospital was shut down Monday after four staff members were diagnosed with coronavirus.
Ichilov Medical Center has ordered Internal Ward 9 to be temporarily shut down, making it the second department at the hospital to close over COVID-19 outbreak.
Ward 9 was initially closed off to new arrivals on Saturday, with the remaining patients there set to be transferred to other departments.
Ichilov's management said that the unit will be thoroughly disinfected and in the meantime another coronavirus ward will be opened at the hospital.
The current number of Ichilov staff members infected with the virus stands at 17.
Last Monday, 11 employees at Ichilov's Ward 1 were diagnosed with coronavirus, leading to the department also being temporarily shut down.
Among those reportedly infected were three doctors, two nurses and six other health professionals.
Officials believe the staff violated health regulations on several occasions, including attending a goodbye party for one of the staff members at the hospital while ignoring virus rules.
According to sources, there were more than 20 people in the room, with most not wearing protective face masks or keeping a safe distance.
Shortly after the gathering, one of the doctors received a phone call informing him that his wife and daughter were confirmed to have been infected with the pathogen, prompting everyone who attended the party to enter quarantine.
Ichilov Director General Prof. Roni Gamzu held several talks with the hospital's staff on the importance of adhering to public health regulations.
However, several doctors at the medical center said they only found out about the incident from other colleagues and were not notified of the matter by the administration.