Foreign Nationals Barred Completely from Entering Israel; 529 Corona Patients in Country

Jerusalem, 19 March, 2020 (TPS) -- 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.