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Health officials were reportedly told on Saturday that two-thirds of Israelis returning from overseas trips to countries with high coronavirus infection rates had broken quarantine.
The meeting between Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, coronavirus czar Nachman Ash, ministry officials and scientists also learned that 1-2% of people returning from overseas – from all places – came through the following revealed to be carriers of the coronavirus, Channel 12 reported.
Israelis returning from Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria were the most likely to test positive, according to the report.
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Testing is not mandatory for travelers to Israel from any location, but arrivals from countries with high infection can now use testing to slightly reduce their quarantine period.
A technician collects nasal swab samples for coronavirus testing at Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv on November 15, 2020 (Flash90)
The report says it is clear from the discussions that there is a need to test all returnees from abroad, wherever they are.
According to current regulations, those entering Israel from a country considered “red”, with a high transmission rate, need only complete a health declaration form.
Travelers returning to Israel from one of these countries must enter quarantine for 14 days, a period that can be shortened to 12 days if the individual has two negative viral tests, one at the start and one near the end of the period. ‘self-isolation. period.
The report says officials have also discussed the possibility of forcing all returnees from abroad to self-isolate, no matter where they come from, or of using digital means to track those returning from the country. alien to ensure they remain in quarantine, a decision that would require ministerial intervention and legal approvals.
Another option that would have been considered was to have passengers pass a test before boarding a plane bound for Ben-Gurion Airport, enter quarantine immediately upon arrival, and then undergo a second four test. days later. If this were clear, then the traveler would be released from self-isolation as part of the plan. The UK is piloting a similar program from mid-December.
Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein at a press conference in Airport City on September 17, 2020 (Flash90)
Edelstein reportedly told the meeting that stricter measures should be taken to prevent the virus from spreading further in Israel as a result of international travel.
“There is no escape from draconian measures to combat the phenomenon. What we are seeing here is the pandemic being imported into the country. He must be stopped immediately, ”said Edelstein.
The meeting was accompanied by news of a virus outbreak at a hotel in the Dead Sea, when 10 employees of the Isrotel hotel were confirmed to be carriers of the coronavirus.
Eilat and Dead Sea hotels were allowed to reopen earlier this month after a law was passed designating them as ‘special tourist islands’, with tourists having to show no more negative coronavirus results 72 hours before entering these areas.
The edge of the Dead Sea and hotels on October 18, 2020 (Menachem Lederman / Flash90)
The health ministry said on Sunday morning that 572 new cases of coronavirus had been confirmed the day before. The number of new daily cases is usually lower on Sundays, as test levels decline over the weekend.
However, of the 17,163 tests carried out on Saturday, 3.3% came back positive. As of Wednesday, the positivity rate was 1.8%. The number has recently tended to increase during the weekends and then decrease.
Members of the hospital team move patients to the new coronavirus ward at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem on November 16, 2020 (Olivier Fitoussi / Flash90)
The reduction in the number of cases came after three consecutive days when new daily infections exceeded 1,000, after remaining below this stage for more than a month.
The number of infections since the start of the pandemic has risen to 335,132, of which 9,951 were active cases.
The death toll stood at 2,854.
According to the ministry, there were 273 people in serious condition, including 100 on ventilators. Another 90 people were in moderate condition and the rest had mild or no symptoms.
Senior health officials have warned of growing morbidity even as the government continues to roll back lockdown restrictions.
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