JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli Health Ministry Spokesman Moshe Bar Siman Tov announced Thursday that for the first time a case of the coronavirus has been discovered inside Israel. Last week an Israeli woman returning from the Diamond Princess cruise ship near Japan, where she had been quarantined for 14 days, was found to be suffering from the corona virus, but the present victim who returned from Italy four days ago and then felt unwell is the first case to be found within Israel.
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The patient was immediately hospitalized in the special isolation ward set up in Tel Hashomer hospital but the fear is that since he moved around without isolation over the past few days, other people may also have been infected by the contagious virus. The Health Ministry issued a directive requiring every person returning from Italy to go into self-imposed quarantine for fourteen days. At present there are 1760 people in quarantine in Israel, with 119 added in the past day. Two Israelis have been found to be infected with the virus.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri also decided to prevent entry to Israel of any person who has been in Italy in the past two weeks and who is not an Israeli citizen.