Israelis returning from Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, and Austria, as well as anyone returning from the Far East, will be placed under quarantine for 14 days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced at a press conference Wednesday afternoon. Citizens of these countries would also be banned from Israel.
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Netanyahu warned against shaking hands "in the midst of a global epidemic."
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Netanyahu said he had finished another meeting with Health Minister Yakov Litzman and healthcare experts about the coronavirus epidemic, which he said "might be one of the most dangerous of the last 100 years, even though Israel is doing better than the other countries [where coronavirus has been confirmed]," he said.
"I have ordered heavy measures to check the spread of the virus in Israel. We have taken the step of broad quarantines and extensive testing that other countries have not. We have taken steps to handle people returning from abroad. In Italy, the virus is spreading rapidly. The death rate is 4-5% and the percentage of seriously ill stands at 10%," Netanyahu said.
This will add several thousand more citizens to the number currently under self-quarantine at home. Health Authorities are warning anyone under self-quarantine to contact Magen David Adom if they have the following symptoms: a fever above 38C (100.4F), a cough, or respiratory difficulty.
Litzman announced that events of over 5,000 participants would not be authorized and that international conferences scheduled to take place in Israel for the near future would be cancelled.
Earlier Wednesday, Deputy Director General of the Health Ministry Professor Itamar Grotto said, "We believe that the spread of the virus in Israel is unpreventable, and that the steps we are now taking can delay the spread or lessen it … We can expect a wide-scale outbreak, and we don't know how strong it will be. It appears that we are talking about a months-long event, so we must remain calm and patient."
On Tuesday, the Health Ministry confirmed that the number of coronavirus cases in Israel currently stands at 15.
Over 5,500 Israelis have now been quarantined amid concerns about the global spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Israel has taken far-reaching steps to prevent an outbreak, restricting the entry of foreigners who were in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan and Italy, and compelling all Israelis who recently traveled to these countries to go into quarantine for 14 days.
In a dramatic step, the Health Ministry has also issued a travel advisory urging Israelis to seriously consider refraining from traveling abroad. A ministry official said a directive was in the works by which all Israelis returning from overseas and suffering from suspicious symptoms would have to be tested, regardless of where they traveled prior to returning to Israel.
