IDF finds flaws in safety protocols after 100 soldiers infected on one base
Military investigation traces coronavirus outbreak on Kfir Brigade base to three soldiers who contracted the disease on leave
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

A large-scale outbreak of the coronavirus on a combat brigade training base was traced back to three soldiers who contracted the disease while on leave, the military said Wednesday, following an investigation.
The Israel Defense Forces said the probe turned up a number of issues in the way soldiers returned from leave, but did not find anyone guilty of negligence. No disciplinary actions will be taken as a result of the outbreak.
Some 100 soldiers became infected with the coronavirus during the outbreak on the Kfir Infantry Brigade’s training base in the Jordan Valley, out of roughly 2,000 troops who serve in the facility.
According to the IDF, the three soldiers were infected from the same source while they were on leave over two weeks ago.
In the last of the three cases, the soldier returned to base after being on furlough at home. A few days later he was informed that his father had contracted the disease.
“The soldier was sent into home quarantine immediately and from that point on a number of steps were taken to isolate and test all of the soldiers with whom he’d been in contact,” the military said.
According to the military, all of the soldiers who contracted the disease have light symptoms and “feel good,” and have been sent to a military-run quarantine facility until they recover.
Following the outbreak, Brig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, the head of the 340th Idan Division, which contains the Kfir Brigade, ordered a full investigation.
“The division commander noted a number of lapses in the reception of the soldiers at the base when they returned from home. At the same time, he did not find significant negligence in the treatment of the issue from the moment commanders were informed,” the military said in a statement.
The IDF added that in light of the steps that “were and are being taken,” the situation on the base has improved.
According to Channel 13, which broke the story of the outbreak, it was the largest single flareup in the IDF so far.
In addition to the roughly 100 soldiers who contracted the disease, some 400 were sent into quarantine.
As of Tuesday, 1,164 soldiers and military personnel were actively sick with COVID-19, almost all of them with light symptoms. Two people were in moderate condition while one had a severe case of the disease, according to the IDF. The army said 10,765 soldiers were in quarantine as of Tuesday night.
Two weeks ago, the IDF said that a number of officers were disciplined and two cadets were expelled from a course over a coronavirus outbreak at an officer training base in the south of the country. According to the IDF, a number of protocols were broken that were put in place to prevent such an event, including the soldiers belatedly reporting symptoms and a failure to question cadets on their health.