The emergency services evacuated parts of a shopping center in central Israel after a suspected coronavirus patient came to his HMO located on the top floor after recently arriving from Italy.
Italy is now among the countries severely affected by the health crisis, with 29 confirmed fatalities and over 1000 confirmed cases of the COVID-19 virus. On Wednesday the Health Ministry issued a travel warning to the country, adding that anyone returning from the European state must immediately self-quarantine for 14 days.
One of the employees at the Givatayim Mall told Ynet that a man who came to Maccabi clinic, said he suspects he may have contracted the COVID-19 virus after travelling from the United States to Israel via Italy.
As a result, the upper floor of the mall has been evacuated.
"He is still here in the clinic and the floor has been cleared," she said. "They told people to evacuate the HMO offices and there is a lot of hysteria in the mall right now.”
The officials at the clinic said the man is suffering from flu-like symptoms, which propmted the staff to contact the mall's mangement who decided to evacuate the floor.
The Heath Ministry said the patient was being tested for the new virus at Maccabi HMO and will be evacuated to a hospital once all the tests are completed.
The ministry said there is no directive against visiting the mall and shopping can continue as usual.
So far seven people in Israel have tested positive for coronavirus.
Four returned from Japan after being quarantined for two weeks on the coronavirus-hit cruise liner, the Diamond Princess. One of the patients has since recovered and was released from hospital.
Three others contracted the disease while visiting Italy and tested positive upon their return: One person from Migdal HaEmek in northern Israel and a couple from the community of Irus, located south of Rishon LeZion in central Israel.