2 lawmakers in quarantine after Blue and White minister catches virus
Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata diagnosed with coronavirus 2 days after faction meeting, but colleagues said not required to quarantine
Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, from the Blue and White party, was diagnosed with the coronavirus on Sunday, two days after a meeting with the rest of her party, raising fears that other lawmakers could be infected with the virus.
Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn and MK Ayelet Shaked of Yamina announced that they were entering quarantine after meetings with the minister.
However, other Blue and White lawmakers were told they did not need to enter isolation, despite meeting with Tamano-Shata on Friday, the Walla news site reported.
Tamano-Shata was photographed standing alongside party members on Friday, including party leader Benny Gantz and its No. 2, Defense Minister Gabi Ashkenazi. In the photo, all party members are wearing masks, but are not distanced from each other.
The photo was taken outdoors. It was not clear if the party had met indoors, which would significantly increase the risk of infections.
אנחנו לא אנשים של משחקים ותרגילים.
אנחנו אנשים של כבוד ותקווה,
עבודה קשה, יושר וערכים. נפגשנו הבוקר, כל כחול לבן, להתרכז שוב במה שמחבר בינינו, שונים אך שווים, כמו שמדינת ישראל צריכה להיות. באחריות ובמסירות.
שבת שלום pic.twitter.com/EOTh82VZu8— בני גנץ – Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) August 21, 2020
Tamano-Shata informed the Knesset officer of her positive test result on Sunday. She was last in the Knesset on Wednesday, and the Knesset said it was carrying out an epidemiological investigation in coordination with the Health Ministry, Channel 12 reported.
It was not immediately clear when Tamano-Shata caught the virus.
Gantz previously entered quarantine in July after coming into contact with a confirmed coronavirus carrier, but was not infected.
Tamano-Shata is the fourth lawmaker known to have caught the virus. Then-health minister Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism was infected with the virus in April, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz was diagnosed in August, and Joint List MK Sami Abou Shahadeh caught the disease in June, forcing a shutdown of the Knesset.
The development comes ahead of looming deadline to vote on a bill to push off Monday night’s budget deadline by 100 days, delaying the possibility that Israelis will go to the polls for the fourth time since April 2019.
If the Knesset fails to pass the delay bill by Monday night, the government will automatically fall and new elections will be set.
Nissenkorn was handling negotiations over the issue for Blue and White. His office said he would continue to work from home.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said he would accept a compromise proposal to push off the budget deadline, likely averting the immediate threat of new elections.
The announcement came as the Knesset Finance Committee was set to vote on a bill sponsored by Zvi Hauser, a member of the Derech Eretz party.
Following the announcement of Tamano-Shata’s diagnosis, Miki Levy of the opposition Yesh Atid party called for all Blue and White members to be removed from Finance Committee deliberations, the Ynet news site reported.
MK Ahmad Tibi of the Joint List mocked Levy’s request, saying, “This is not the only health problem in the Knesset.”
The committee chairman, UTJ’s Yizhak Pindros, brushed off the request, telling Levy to direct it to Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin or the Knesset guard.
If the Knesset fails to pass the delay bill by Monday night, the government will automatically fall and new elections will be set.
The Health Ministry on Sunday reported 720 new infections, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 102,380, with 22,045 active cases.
The death toll rose by 10 to 834.
