Passenger on Bennett’s flight home from UAE tests positive for coronavirus
PM’s office says all in premier’s entourage will follow Health Ministry instructions and undergo a second test on Wednesday
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A passenger on Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s flight back to Israel from the United Arab Emirates has tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Prime Minister’s Office said Tuesday that in accordance with “detailed instructions” received from the Health Ministry, Bennett and all members of his entourage are in isolation and will undergo a second PCR test on Wednesday. All passengers arriving at Ben Gurion Airport are tested upon landing.
Bennett arrived back in Israel on Monday after his landmark trip as the first Israeli prime minister to visit the Gulf nation.
He flew to the UAE with a scaled-down delegation that did not include journalists because of concerns about the spread of Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Ahead of the one-day visit, Bennett’s office said his talks with Abu Dhabi’s powerful Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and other Emirati officials would focus on the shared threat posed by Iran.
Bennett has been quarantined since his arrival back in Israel, although he was present in the Knesset on Monday evening where he attended the plenum in an isolation booth after the opposition refused to offset coalition votes.
The government has tightened travel restrictions and quarantine requirements due to fears of the Omicron strain.
Of the 67 cases of Omicron infection confirmed so far in Israel, there has only been one case of seriously illness — in an unvaccinated man who was hospitalized — and no deaths.
Although Israel’s skies ostensibly remain open, foreign tourists are banned from entry and the list of red countries, to which travel is banned, is updated daily, a move that could reduce flights abroad by making it difficult to plan trips in advance.
Israelis have been urged to refrain from nonessential travel. However, numerous ministers and lawmakers from both the opposition and coalition have been in the United States for a conference in recent days, and Bennett’s wife and children recently went on vacation.
The Times of Israel Community.