Israel will prevent South Korean tourists from entering

Talk to a representative at the David Dead Sea Hotel where the tourists were staying

The Ben Gurion Population Authority will prevent the arrival of tourists arriving from South Korea on Saturday, following reports of the nine pilgrims infected with the Corona virus and taking off back to their country after visiting Israel. By 19:30, Korean Air is expected to land in Ben Gurion Airport. Israelis arriving on the flight will be able to enter Israel, assuming that if they feel uncomfortable they should report to the Ministry of Health.

A Population Authority official told Ynet that since the Health Ministry announced that Korean tourists carrying the Corona virus took off and flew from Israel, along with Israelis and tourists, the PA has been trying to pinpoint the identity of the passengers who were on the plane to formulate a final list. The list will be forwarded to the relevant parties. Subsequently, it will be decided whether to prevent the permanent entry of tourists to Israel who have been in South Korea for the past 14 days, similar to the existing directive regarding China and other countries in the east.

The Ministry of Health has located the excursion routes where nine tourists were staying and announced a series of precautionary measures. For example, the Nature and Parks Authority noted that tourists visited three nature sites: Beer Sheva, Masada and Caesarea, as well as churches in Jerusalem. A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Israel said it was being investigated if its members had come in contact with the group. Meanwhile, four employees of the Nature and Parks Authority, who apparently came into contact with the group members in Caesarea and Tel Be’er Sheva National Park, were placed in solitary confinement, as well as two farm workers at the David Dead Hotel who cleaned the rooms where the Korean tourists stayed. The hotel is said to follow the Health Ministry’s instructions.

Here are the currently known locations and exposure times:
8.2 – After 20:00 the Tower of David Hotel in Netanya and the Gallery Hotel
9.2 – Caesarea, Gabriel Hotel in Nazareth, Gospel Church, Holy Family Church, Ein Gev Hotel
10.2 – Ein Gev Hotel, Tenorin Restaurant, St. Peter’s First Church, Bread and Fish Church
11.2 – David Hotel Dead Sea
12.2 – Masada, Timna Park, Leonardo Negev Hotel in Be’er Sheva
13.2 – Tel Be’er Sheva National Park, The Patriarchs Cave in Hebron, Grand Court Hotel in Jerusalem
14.2 – Mount of Olives in Jerusalem – Peggy’s House, Ascension Church, Pat Nostar’s Church, Dominus Plevit Church, Gethsemane Church; Mount Zion – the Last Supper, Mary’s Tomb, Gallicantu Church
15.2 – Jerusalem Gold Restaurant; Ein Kerem Jerusalem – St. John’s Church, Visiting Church, St. Anne’s Church, Blessing of the Flock (Bethesda), Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Church of Anastasis

Panic in South Korea: Seoul trains disinfect (Photo: Reuters)

Also, at the Ein Gev Hotel in the Sea of ​​Galilee, the group said that the group only stayed two nights, about two weeks ago. “The resorts are always very carefully cleaned. We do not lighten our heads, and conduct a security check with travel agents in Korea and Israel regarding the case. .

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Beersheba Municipality reported that “Mayor Rubik Danilovich and City Manager Avishag Abtubi spoke with the Director General of the Ministry of Health and professionals in the office and were updated on the issue. The issue is under full treatment of the Ministry of Health, as in the rest of the country. The Beer Sheva Municipality calls on the public to act vigilantly. And under the responsibility of following the Ministry of Health guidelines published on the Ministry’s website and various media.

The Leonardo Beer Sheva Hotel said: “The staff of the hotel is working according to the Ministry of Health’s instructions and at his request, at that time, a list of the staff who were staying at the hotel was forwarded to him. We adhere to its instructions and act accordingly. At the same time, from a recent review, it turns out that there are no worrying symptoms among the staff. It should also be noted that almost two weeks have passed since the event. ”

The municipality of Netanya said: “The municipality is in contact with the Ministry of Health on this matter and we will act as directed in the other cases around the country. We ask you to follow the Ministry of Health guidelines published on the Ministry’s website and various media.”

The King David Hotel in Netanya said: “The tourists from Korea arrived at the hotel 14 days before 8pm and left early the next morning. Except for the breakfast that was the tourists in question and a limited number of guests, the Koreans did not use the hotel facilities and interacted minimally with the rest. The hotel staff and guests. The hotel maintains a thorough cleaning routine in the hotel rooms and facilities.

Jonathan Barkai, an Israeli who lives in South Korea, told Ynet: “So far we thought the virus is under control. This week it turned out that the number of infected people is rising. People here are getting stressed. Saturday night is considered one of the busiest days and there is no one in the street. People fear. Pilgrims who have returned from Israel are very stressful. Local media do not say where they got infected, but chances are they have infected South Korea and traveled to Israel. When they returned – the disease erupted. ”

Ben Gurion Airport and Seoul have direct flights four times a week, from Korean Air Airlines. Today there is no restriction on entry of tourists staying in South Korea, and it was not included in the order issued by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri this week. Entry into Israel of anyone who has stayed in Thailand, Macau, Singapore and Hong Kong for the past two weeks – and does not have Israeli citizenship, in addition to a ban already imposed on foreigners arriving in China.

Moore Idan, 39, who works in the diamond industry in Israel, was scheduled to take off last week for a work flight in Thailand, but due to warnings from the Ministry of Health, he decided to change his destination to South Korea. On Saturday night, he took off with Korean Air on a direct flight from Ben Gurion Airport to Seoul – presumably on the same flight as the pilots returned to South Korea. Idan returned to Israel on Thursday.

“The plane was full of Korean pilgrims. When I heard about the spread of the virus in Korea, including those who visited Israel in a number of churches – it was very disturbing,” he told Ynet. “I tried today with a mask on my face, but right now I’m waiting for updates and don’t really know what to do. Anyway since I gave up in the country I decided to introduce myself to voluntary isolation. I think the Ministry of Health must update its guidelines.”

Meanwhile, Professor Ran Nir Paz, who is with the Israelis from the “Corona” hospital in Japan, visited them this morning and updated on the condition of two of them “” The two patients here in Tokyo hospital are in excellent condition, both have mild pneumonia and are positive with the virus. We hope to repeat the tests over the next week and if they find negative ones they can return to the country. At the moment they do not need any special treatment except that they are supervised here in the hospital. ”

Prof. Itamar Grotto, Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Health, also in Tokyo, wrote that the true status of the disease is much greater than reported, because there are many people with mild disease, including not suspected and not tested for the presence of the virus. He also added that the world’s main centers where the virus continues Fast-spreading are: China, South Korea, some regions of Japan, Iran, the United States and Italy.