First Man, 88, Dies of Coronavirus in Israel

Jerusalem, 22 March, 2020 (TPS) -- Aryeh Even, 88, died of Coronavirus in a Jerusalem hospital over the weekend, the first Israeli to die of the virus.

Even, a Holocaust survivor who suffered from other prior illnesses, was buried in a small funeral on Saturday night in Jerusalem.

The Ministry of Health on Sunday morning updated that the number of Corona patients on Israel was 883, with 15 in serious condition,19 in moderate condition, and 38 who have recovered.

Israel on Saturday night introduced the final draft of stringent directives limiting public interactions to curb the spread of the virus. An emphasis was put on penalties for breaching the directives, which included fines and prison sentences.

Minister of Transportation Bezalel Smotrich and Deputy Minister of Finance Yitzchak Chen entered quarantine on Saturday night after being notified that they had separately met with a person who was diagnosed with Corona.

An employee at the Israeli Consulate General in New York was diagnosed on Saturday with Corona. He is at home in isolation in good condition. Israeli Consul General Danny Dayan went into quarantine following his exposure to the employee.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview with Channel 12 News that we should pray to the Creator that the Corona epidemic should end soon.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 188 countries around the world.

At least 308,500 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 13,000 deaths. Some 96,000 have recovered.