NEWS
No Coronavirus in Israel
By G. Lazar
Panic over the coronavirus epidemic has spread across the globe but Israel can thankfully say that at this stage, there is no reason for fear. Three that were hospitalized and suspected of having been infected by it were released after it was determined that they had not contracted the dread virus.
The Shaarei Zedek Medical Center decided to release a 25-year-old tourist from China who arrived there on a stretcher from a Terem center. Similarly with a Chinese worker who was quickly brought to Barzilai Hospital but was released when it was determined that he was suffering from the flu. A woman hospitalized in Ichilov was also diagnosed as suffering merely from a common cold. None of these patients had any connection to the dread virus.
Nonetheless, Health Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman signed an order for national health protection which would help the country deal with the necessary methods of his ministry to deal with any eventualities of it making an appearance. The order will enable, among other things, to hospitalize patients forcibly under isolation.
"The signature upon this special order does not mean that we are in a state of emergency, but it does give us the means to take all necessary steps if the need arises. At the present time, with emphasis on `present', there is no sign of any person suffering from Corona but we are ready for any incident," Litzman declared.
The Ministry of Health noted that the recommendation to refrain from unnecessary travel to China is still intact, and additionally, they said that the Ministry is receiving daily updates on the situation and dealing with them accordingly.
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