Entry into Israel by foreign nationals was completely barred Wednesday night following recommendations from the Ministry of Health.

After two weeks of restricting entry to travelers who are not residents of the State of Israel, the Ministry of Health has recommended stricter entry prevention measures to halt the spread of the Coronavirus.

For the past two weeks, foreign nationals could enter Israel if they could show the ability to stay in quarantine for 14 days. The new directive calls for a complete shutdown.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem on Wednesday with senior doctors from the Arab sector to discuss efforts to raise awareness in the sector of the spread of the Coronavirus.

“Unfortunately, there is insufficient adherence to the guidelines in the Arab sector, as I see it. There is a problem in the general public as well, and there is a problem especially in the small villages, to my understanding, and we are going to fix that right away,” he stated.

“We, in Israel, are ahead of almost the whole world right now. We managed to keep it [Corona] from spreading, but without the cooperation of everyone who hears us now… respect the instructions – it’s a must! Otherwise, many people will die and this death can be prevented with your help,” he added.

The majority of Israel’s 529 patients are in light condition, some 13 are in moderate condition and six are in serious condition. Some are hospitalized, others are at home while some have entered the newly established Corona hotels at several locations in Israel.

A total of 12 have recovered and returned home. Some are being treated with experimental medications.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 176 countries around the world.

At least 220,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 9,000 deaths. Some 86,000 have recovered.

Two Israeli Ministers and another two Members of Knesset (MK) have entered quarantine after being exposed to confirmed Coronavirus patients, as the number of infected Israelis grew to 427 on Wednesday morning.

The majority of the patients are in light condition, 10 are in moderate condition and five are in serious condition. Some are hospitalized, others are at home while some have entered the newly established Corona hotels at several locations in Israel.

A total of 11 have recovered and returned home. Some are being treated with experimental medications.

Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri Minister of Agriculture Tsahi Hanegbi and MKs Ram Ben Barak and Alon Schuster entered a 14-day quarantine after being exposed to confirmed Corona patients.

Hanegbi was at the Knesset on Monday for the swearing of the newly elected MKs, sending a scare through the parliament. All 120 MKs may be forced to be tested for Corona.

Israel’s Ambassador to Germany Jeremy Issacharoff and another diplomat, Aaron Sagi, contracted Corona. The Foreign Ministry ordered the Berlin embassy closed for two weeks.

The two were apparently infected after meeting with a German MP who had contracted the virus. The entire embassy staff was sent into isolation for two weeks.

The government announced new restricting measures on Tuesday afternoon and closed all parks and beaches, and essentially called on all citizens not to leave home unless there was an urgent need.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday evening that all steps taken by the government to curb the spread of Corona will be useless if the citizens do not obey the instructions.

“You have to understand, this is not a children’s game – it is life or death,” he told the press.

Director-General of the Ministry of Health Moshe Bar Simantov further warned that Israel “will also reach hundreds of new patients a day and there will be people who will die from the disease – it could happen soon … What happened in Italy could happen here too, there could be thousands in Israel to die from the disease.”

The government is working to significantly boost the number of Corona tests carried out on a daily basis to 3,000.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 167 countries around the world.

At least 199,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 8,000 deaths. Some 83,000 have recovered.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday evening announced another list of limitations on the Israeli economy and society which are meant to combat the spread of Coronavirus.

With 298 Corona patients and after imposing restrictions on Saturday night, Netanyahu stated that only necessary workers were to go to work and that workplaces should not admit more than 30% of its workforce to the offices and factories while the rest should work from home.

Public transportation was further limited and scaled back.

The public sector will transition into an emergency status while essential services will remain in full format, including security, banking, food markets, mail, garbage disposal and ports.

Part of the public will be put on leave without pay for the next month.

“Our struggle against the Coronavirus is continuing all the time. In many countries, there has been a sharp increase in the number of patients and in the number of deaths. Our heart is with Italy and Spain, with the Jewish communities there and with whoever has been adversely affected by the virus,” Netanyahu stated during a press conference.

The Cabinet approved emergency regulations enabling the Shin Bet security service to use of digital means to tack Corona patients, means usually employed in counterterrorism, which Netanyahu said “will greatly assist us in locating patients and thereby stop the spread of the virus.”

“With us in Israel, there has been a moderate increase in morbidity, and we are doing everything so that it remains under control. The State of Israel is continuing to be ahead of the vast majority of countries in taking determined and responsible steps and in cooperation with you, citizens of Israel,” he added.

Shopping malls and places of entertainment were already shut down a few days ago.

In summary, Netanyahu said that “the public sector is contracting, the private sector is contracting, and essential services are continuing as usual.”

“The powerful partnership between government and citizens and our profound brotherhood are a great source of strength and spirit in the fight against the Corona epidemic. Together we will stand, and together with God’s help, we will win this fight, even if it takes time,” he concluded.

These measures are aimed primarily at curbing the spread of the virus.

Of the 298 patients, four are in serious condition, about a dozen are in moderate condition and the rest are in light condition. Most of the patients are hospitalized and some are at home. Four have recovered. Some are receiving experimental treatments.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 162 countries around the world.

At least 183,000 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 7,200 deaths. Some 80,000 have recovered.

IDF forces on Sunday night captured two Arabs who attempted to infiltrate Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The IDF stated that its forces arrested the infiltrators after they crossed the fence in the southern Gaza Strip. The suspects were not armed.

No one was wounded in the incident.

Infiltration attempts on the border with the Strip happen several times a week, usually by Gazan Arabs seeking work in Israel. However, the Israeli forces treat each such incident as a potential terrorist attack.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Saturday night that Israel was entering an almost full lockdown to stave off the spread of Coronavirus.

With some 200 documented patients, Netanyahu announced a full shutdown of the school system, of all public entertainment areas, public venues and malls, and called on Israel’s citizens to stay home if there was no real need otherwise.

“We are fighting for life and public health – there are thousands of dead in the world. Countries in the world are learning from us. New Zealand noted that Israeli policy has proven to be correct and they are adopting it. We are ahead of many countries in the world,” Netanyahu stated at the press conference.

“We are looking ahead into the future and know that it will be difficult to continue in this situation – but we are among the countries in the best position in the world,” he added.

All gatherings of over 10 people are banned, and religious gatherings were limited to a minimum.

Public transportation will be limited, and only a few passengers will be allowed to board.

Netanyahu stressed that food markets and pharmacies would remain open and that there was no need to stock up on food.

“Food factories in Israel will continue to work as usual. The food chains have large stocks. The import of food into Israel continues. This creates a large inventory so there is no need or justification for storing food,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.

Markets at various locations saw close to riots scenes on Saturday night as people ran to stock up on food.

Israel will utilize digital tools it usually employs to fight terrorism to track patients, Netanyahu revealed.

Sunday’s Cabinet meeting will be held via video conference.

The police has announced it will crack down on businesses and individuals breaching the directives. Footage seen by TPS showed the police in Tel Aviv arresting a man who had disregarded the quarantine he was supposed to have been in.

The IDF has ordered its troops to return to base for the coming month. Soldiers in Israel usually go home every two weeks.

The Corona patients in Israel are hospitalized in special wards at several hospitals. All are in light condition, accept 11 who are in moderate condition and two who are in serious condition. They are being treated with various experimental medications.

Four patients have recovered and have been sent home.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 152 countries around the world.

At least 156,800 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 5,800 deaths. Some 76,000 have recovered.