Israeli Consul General to New York Asaf Zamir tested positive for coronavirus on Saturday night as well as several other aides in a major outbreak.
It was not immediately clear whether any of the diplomats had contracted the highly mutated Omicron variant.
According to the management of the building — which also houses the procurement department of the defense and economy ministries — those working in the building will now work in a capsule format for at least a week in order to prevent further infections.
“There are a whole lot of infections,” said one Israeli working at the building. “We are hysterical and afraid to go to the office.”
According to the workers, the outbreak in the building was a perfect representation of the overall COVID-19 situation in New York, which many believe is on the precipice of a major Omicron outbreak — including Mayor Bill de Blasio.
Last week, New York saw over 8,300 daily Omicron cases, which prompted de Blasio to warn the Omicron is in NY "in full force."
Israel, meanwhile, announced it is preparing to add 10 additional countries, including the U.S., to its no-fly list due to their high rates of COVID infections, seemingly exacerbated by the spread of the Omicron variant.