The Israel Defense Forces will not discriminate against coronavirus carriers and survivors of its associated disease COVID-19, Israel Hayom has learned.
The Pentagon's new guidelines ban anyone who has been hospitalized due to the virus. According to a memo published by the Military Times, "during the screening process, a reported history of confirmed COVID-19 will be annotated 'considered disqualifying'."
The Israeli military told Israel Hayom it would not follow suit and would not consider this to be a disqualifying criterion.
Under Israeli law, almost all Jewish men and women, as well as Druze men, must serve in the military upon reaching the age of 18. The screening process, during which would-be inductees undergo various physical checkups, usually begins in 11th grade.
The new US policy is based on the assessment that the coronavirus causes long-term damage to the lungs. The Pentagon wants to avoid future complications that would hamper the draftees' military service.
