As efforts to stymie the spread of the coronavirus press on, passengers arriving from abroad will no longer be allowed to use the Ben Gurion Airport train station starting Wednesday, Israel Railways announced on Tuesday.
The new directive comes following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Monday announcement that all arrivals from abroad must self-quarantine for 14 days from the date of arrival, regardless of their port of origin.
The station will still be available for airport workers as well as Israelis traveling within the country who will be required to show their plane ticket before being allowed into the station.
The Railway Workers' Union welcomed the decision, saying that the enforcement of the new directive should be given the proper tools to ensure its success.
Earlier Tuesday, the Health Ministry confirmed that eight more Israelis have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, bringing the country's total number of cases to 58.
Five of the patients have recently returned from overseas, while three others have contracted the virus after coming in direct contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient.
Israel has taken some of the most extreme precautions to prevent a local coronavirus outbreak, forcing tens of thousands of Israeli travelers returning from a host of destinations in Asia and Europe into home quarantine.
On Monday, the government said any person entering the country from abroad, whether an Israeli national or not, must spend two weeks in quarantine.
The Health Ministry website has full details of the locations visited by coronavirus sufferers in Israel.