A group of Chinese citizens who arrived via Aeroflot Airlines this Saturday morning at Ben Gurion International Airport were refused entry to the State of Israel. Fifty Chinese citizens were placed on a flight that departed Israel the same afternoon.
The refusal comes in the wake of a ban enacted by Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, prohibiting the entry of individuals who have been in China less than 14 days prior to arrival in Israel.
World Health Organization Declares Coronavirus Outbreak a Global Health Emergency
Litzman said Thursday the Jewish State was banning flights into the country from China in the hopes it would help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Speaking at a news briefing at the ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, Litzman said the ban remains in effect until further notice.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to convene a large-scale discussion on national preparedness regarding the coronavirus that has prompted the ban on visitors from China.
The discussion with the prime minister will include the ministers of Health, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Justice, Interior and Transportation and the director generals of their ministries; the head of the National Security Council, the Director of the Biological Institute, the head of the Public Health Service and the head of the Health Ministry Medical Division; the head of the Population Authority, the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority, the director general of MDA, the Finance Ministry Accountant General, IDF Home Front Command and the IDF Chief Medical Officer.
“We are not taking any unnecessary chances,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Saturday night. “The virus is already found on five continents and in over 25 countries.
“We are aware of the fact that it will be impossible to completely prevent the entry of the virus; therefore, we will be prepared in advance to deal with the virus after its first entry to Israel.”
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 2,128 new cases reported worldwide as of Saturday, February 1, bringing the total number of cases globally to 11,953. In China, 259 people have died from the illness, including 46 people this weekend alone.