Police, Health Ministry establish joint task force to enforce quarantine orders

The Israel Police and Health Ministry on Sunday announced the establishment of a joint task force that will enforce quarantine orders placed against some 80,000 Israelis to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The decision to set up the unit came after the number of citizens ordered into quarantine increased significantly in recent days, police said in a statement.

Since the outbreak of the virus last month, nine cases have been opened against Israelis who knowingly violated the quarantine orders or attempted to disrupt Health Ministry inspectors in carrying out their duties, police said.

The statement did not specify whether the cases included one against a man in central Israel who was filmed giving the middle finger to inspectors who came to his home to make sure he was abiding by the quarantine rules last month.

In a separate case, the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team took the court against a Turkish rival last week after returning from Spain just 11 days earlier, despite Health Ministry guidelines requiring that travelers returning from the country quarantine themselves for 14 days. Health Minister Yaakov Litzman had subsequently threatened legal action against the team, but such repercussions have yet to be announced.

“Police are continuing to operate… to prevent the spread of rumors and disinformation (‘fake news’) whose purpose is to mislead and sow panic among the public,” law enforcement said Sunday.

Separately Sunday, a further deterioration was reported in the condition of Israel’s most serious coronavirus case, an East Jerusalem resident who is suffering from acute pneumonia and high fever.

The 38-year-old bus driver last month chauffeured a group of Greek tourists who were found to be infected after returning to Greece. He arrived Thursday at Baruch Padeh Medical Center in Tiberias suffering from high fever and trouble breathing, and was quickly placed in quarantine.

Twenty-five Israelis are currently known to be infected with the virus, the latest four of whom were announced on Saturday night.

Health Ministry deputy director general Itamar Grotto on Sunday estimated that the number of Israeli COVID-19 cases could surge to tens of thousands.

“According to our estimates we will reach thousands and even tens of thousands of patients; that can’t be prevented,” he told Channel 12. “Not all of the tens of thousands will go to hospitals, most will be treated within the community. Some 80-90 percent of the patients will only develop very mild symptoms and nothing will happen to them, they will just have to stay in home quarantine until the disease passes.”

Netanyahu said on Saturday that the disease was a pandemic.

The premier said he was in touch with other world leaders and had discussed international cooperation to stem the spread of the outbreak. The virus hit a milestone Friday, infecting more than 100,000 people worldwide. It has killed nearly 3,400 people.

Israel has already required returning Israelis from several countries to self-quarantine, and barred foreigners from a slew of European and Asian countries. Some 80,000 Israelis are now reported to be in self-quarantine, and large events such as concerts and sporting matches have been canceled.

Israelis have also been advised against all non-vital international travel.

Israel on Wednesday barred entry to almost all non-residents of the Jewish state arriving from France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. The measures come on top of restrictions previously imposed on arrivals from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy.