IDF to tell some troops to stay home in fight to slow spread of virus

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday said it would scale back the number of nonessential soldiers on bases beginning Sunday in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi ordered the heads of the military’s branches, directorates and regional commands to assess how many “homefront” soldiers and workers — those who serve in largely administrative and other less critical positions — they actually require in order to keep their units functioning.

“An emphasis will be placed on bringing in soldiers and workers who are necessary solely to preserve readiness, functional continuity and operational processes,” the military said in a statement.

The IDF said the order would go into effect beginning Sunday. Soldiers would be informed whether or not to arrive at their bases by their commanders.

“Additional instructions will be sent out as needed,” the military said.

It was the latest in a series of increasingly stringent measures rolled out by the military aimed at limiting the spread of the coronavirus among its ranks and ensuring the IDF can continue functioning as needed.

As of Saturday night, at least four IDF soldiers had been diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease cause by the coronavirus, while over 2,700 soldiers and 75 civilian employees of the military were in quarantine, including the deputy commander of the IDF’s Intelligence Corps Unit 8200. Hundreds more have completed their two-week quarantine and returned to their bases.

Also on Saturday, the IDF called off tryouts planned for the coming week for the IDF’s exclusive pilots course, and the Israeli Navy’s elite Shayetet 13 commando unit, submarine unit and naval officers course. The military said fresh dates for the tryouts would be announced later.

In addition, the military told troops currently in training, serving in combat units, and in “closed” units — where soldiers do not go home on weekends — that they must prepare to remain on base for at least a month without leave.

Access to certain military installations and bases would also be restricted, the IDF said.

The IDF has principally focused on maintaining its operational capabilities in the face of the coronavirus outbreak, but the military was also preparing to step in and help civilian authorities respond to the disease in the general public.

“Israel’s emergency stores are full and equipped for a variety of scenarios,” Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said Saturday.

Overall, almost 40,000 Israelis are currently quarantined in their homes across the country, as the virus continued to spread, with the total number of infected people rising to nearly 200 on Saturday night.

The IDF’s instructions came as the government headed by interim Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced stricter measures to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

The measures included transitioning staff at workplaces deemed nonessential to work from home, further limiting public gatherings and movement, shutting down malls and other leisure businesses, and shuttering kindergartens and private daycares in addition to schools and universities, which were ordered closed for at least the next month.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.