IDF bans international travel for soldiers, cancels exercises amid virus scare

The Israel Defense Forces says it is forbidding all soldiers from traveling abroad and canceling all international exercises in light of concerns over the spread of the coronavirus.

IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman tells reporters that these measures and others that are still in the works are meant to “ensure the fitness of the IDF and prevent damage to it.”

So far one soldier has been diagnosed with the coronavirus, while hundreds have been quarantined for either traveling to countries with a high incidence of the disease or coming in contact with an infected person.

Zilberman says the restriction on international travel will go into effect tomorrow at noon and will be imposed on conscripts and career soldiers alike.

A committee may permit some exceptions to this rule on a case-by-case basis, either for specific operational trips abroad or for troops who need to leave the country for pressing medical or family reasons.

The spokesperson says all international exercises — both ones the IDF is participating in abroad and those being hosted in Israel — have been canceled, though some exceptions may be made on an individual basis.

— Judah Ari Gross