Netanyahu says Israel may quarantine all travellers amid Coronavirus scare

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said if Tel Aviv would introduce additional measures regarding quarantine amid Coronavirus outbreak, then it would affect travellers from all countries and cut off tourism as well. According to reports, Netanyahu during a press conference said that Israel is not talking about closing its borders but the need to quarantine those arriving in the country from foreign territories. Israel already requires travellers arriving from more than a dozen countries and territories in Europe and Asia to go into home quarantine for 14 days. 

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As per reports, Israel could expand the list of countries from which returning travellers would have to quarantine themselves. Prime Minister Netanyahu said that it would be a 'hard decision' but a conclusion on the matter will be reached soon after consulting with the concerned members. However, Israel's Health Ministry said that 39 cases of COVID-19 have been registered in the country so far. 

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Coronavirus outbreak

The novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has claimed more than 3,800 lives across the globe and has infected over 1,09,000 people around the world since it first broke out in December 2019. Meanwhile, around 60,000 patients have recovered.

China is the most affected country in the world as experts believe that the virus originated from a seafood market in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the disease, where animals were being traded illegally as per reports.

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According to the latest reports, at least 800 people have died outside mainland China, which makes it the worst disease outbreak of the 21st century. Italy, Iran and South Korea are the most affected countries besides China, where 366, 194 and 50 people have died respectively as of March 8. Italy for the first time on March 8 reported over 100 deaths in a single day since the outbreak escalated in the country. 

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Lead Image Credit: AP