COVID-19 pandemic in Israel

viral outbreak

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in Israel was confirmed on 21 February 2020, after a female citizen tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 after return from quarantine on the Diamond Princess ship in Japan.[3]

COVID-19 pandemic in Israel
Magen David Adom worker dressed in protective gear walks beside a mobile intensive care unit
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationIsrael
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Index caseRamat Gan
Arrival date21 February 2020
(4 years, 1 month and 5 days)
Confirmed cases16,539[1]
Severe cases62[1]
Recovered12,173[1]
Deaths
262[1]
Fatality rate1.56%[2]
Government website
govextra.gov.il/ministry-of-health/corona

Response change

As a result, a 14-day home isolation rule was created for anyone who had visited South Korea or Japan, and a ban was placed on non-residents and non-citizens who were in South Korea for 14 days before their arrival.[4]

Beginning on 11 March, Israel began enforcing social distancing and other rules to limit the spread of infection.

Gatherings were first restricted to no more than 100 people,[5] but on 15 March this was lowered to 10 people.[6]

On 19 March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a national state of emergency. Israelis were not allowed to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

Cases change

As coronavirus diagnoses spiked in the city of Bnei Brak, reaching nearly 1,000 infected individuals at the beginning of April,[7] the cabinet voted to declare the city a "restricted zone". On 12 April, Haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem were placed under closure.

On 20 March, an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor in Jerusalem who suffered from previous illnesses was announced as the country's first death.[8][9]

Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman and his wife tested positive for the coronavirus on 2 April; Litzman was the first member of the cabinet to be infected.[10]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "קורונה - משרד הבריאות". Telegram (in Hebrew).
  2. "Corona Tracker Overview". .coronatracker.com.
  3. "Israel confirms first coronavirus case as cruise ship returnee diagnosed". The Times of Israel. 21 February 2020. Archived from the original on 21 February 2020. Retrieved 21 February 2020.
  4. "How is Israel Dealing With Coronavirus?". 16 March 2020.
  5. "Israel limits gatherings to 100 people as coronavirus cases climb to 97". The Jerusalem Post. 11 March 2020.
  6. "No more daycare, restaurants, gyms or prayer quorums: The new virus regulations". 15 March 2020.
  7. "Bnei Brak coronavirus cases near 1000 as Haredi cities hit hardest". Ynetnews. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  8. Rabinovitch, Ari (20 March 2020). "Israel reports first coronavirus fatality". news.yahoo.com. Reuters.
  9. Estrin, Daniel (21 March 2020). "Holocaust Survivor Is First Coronavirus Death In Israel". NPR.
  10. "Israel's Health Minister Litzman and his wife test positive for coronavirus". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2 April 2020.