Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US Vice President Mike Pence have agreed to work together toward battling the novel coronavirus outbreak.
Netanyahu and Pence discussed the virus by phone, according to Netanyahu’s office.
The two “agreed that in the coming weeks an Israeli team would hold continuing talks with an American staff on dealing with the coronavirus,” a statement from Netanyahu’s office says in a statement. “The talks will aim at increasing technology and science cooperation on the coronavirus, and the sides will discuss joint measures to deal with the challenges of the virus.”
US Vice President Mike Pence (L) greets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the Fifth World Holocaust Forum at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial museum in Jerusalem on January 23, 2020. (Ronen Zvulun/Pool/AFP)
The announcement comes a day after the Health Ministry hinted it could restrict entry from areas in the US with outbreaks, and then seemingly pulled back those plans.
Minister Yariv Levin told Army Radio earlier Sunday that the matter needed to be discussed soon.
An announcement planned for 7 p.m. is widely expected to include a decision on whether some US entries will be restricted.
The US has seen large outbreaks in the states of Washington, New York and California.
Watch Docu Nation Season 2: Resilience
when you join the ToI Community
Support The Times of Israel's independent journalism and receive access to our documentary series, Docu Nation: Resilience, premiering December 12.
In this season of Docu Nation, you can stream eight outstanding Israeli documentaries with English subtitles and then join a live online discussion with the filmmakers. The selected films show how resilience, hope, and growth can emerge from crisis.
When you watch Docu Nation, you’re also supporting Israeli creators at a time when it’s increasingly difficult for them to share their work globally.
To learn more about Docu Nation: Resilience, click here.
Support ToI and get Docu Nation
Support ToI and get Docu Nation
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel eleven years ago - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 8, 2020
