Health Ministry Calls on Israelis to Reconsider All Trips Abroad Amid Coronavirus Outbreak
Israel's Health Ministry called on Israelis Wednesday not to fly to Italy due to the coronavirus outbreak, urging its citizens "to reconsider the necessity of flights abroad in general, beyond the obligated isolation upon return from specific countries."
The ministry also stated that it will require all Israelis who returned from Italy since February 16 to be quarantined in home isolation for two weeks.
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Israel’s ready for corona – but not for women in powerHaaretz Weekly Ep. 65
"The situation assessment shows a high likelihood that the disease has spread in other regions of Europe and many other places in the world," the ministry said, adding that "traveling to conferences and other international congregations, including trips to religious events where people from many countries meet, should also be avoided. Additionally, international conferences to be held in Israel should be avoided."
According to Dr. Boaz Lev, who heads the epidemic treatment division in the Health Ministry, the situation is emerging into a pandemic: a state of rapid spread, including local spread.
The new guidelines issued by the Health Ministry on Wednesday have broad economic implications. According to Lev, the priority of the decision makers is first and foremost public health and the protection of groups at increased risk, with emphasis on the elderly and those with prior illnesses and a weakened immune system.
The ministry's working assumption is that at some point the virus will reach Israel, but delaying its arrival and earning time to learn as much as possible about the virus and the disease it causes is still possible.
Ben-Gurion Airport has implemented no dramatic change in preparation, or any plans to increase the medical system through Magen David Adom or other medical entities. The signs displaying guidelines and instructions have been replaced with screens, and passengers are receiving text messages from the Health Ministry.