The Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed five new cases of the COVID-19 virus, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 58.
Four of the new patients were infected from close contact with people confirmed to have the virus, the ministry said. So far, there has been only one case of the disease where the source of the infection remains unknown.
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The latest World Health Organization data shows that so far, there have been 114,431 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide. Some 4,000 people have died from the COVID-19 virus, and 64,099 have recovered for it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that, as part of Israel's efforts to stem the outbreak, all nationals who return from abroad will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days regardless of where they were returning from.
Netanyahu acknowledges the measure is extreme but said it was imperative for Israel to minimize the spread of COVID-19.
"After a day of complex discussions, we have made a decision: Whoever arrives in Israel from abroad will enter quarantine for 14 days," Netanyahu said in a video statement.
PM Netanyahu, following the discussions:
"After a day of complex discussions, we have made a decision: Whoever arrives in Israel from abroad will enter quarantine for 14 days. pic.twitter.com/AxrNZsddRn— PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) March 9, 2020
"This is a difficult decision but it is essential to maintaining public health, which takes precedence over everything. This decision will be in effect for two weeks. At the same time, we will make decisions to safeguard the Israeli economy."
Prior to announcing the measure, Netanyahu held a video conference call with European leaders to discuss the challenges and cooperation between countries in dealing with COVID-19.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, and Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban participated in the call, the Prime Minister's Office said.
