Shas MK Yinon Azoulay tests positive for coronavirus

Azoulay is 5th lawmaker to catch COVID-19, apparently infected by a family member; Knesset investigating to discover who may have been exposed

By ToI Staff 9 September 2020, 2:12 am

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Shas parliament member Yinon Azoulay seen during a opening campaign event of the Shas party in Jerusalem on July 22, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90)

Shas MK Yinon Azoulay announced Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, making him the fifth Knesset member to catch the virus.

After receiving positive coronavirus test results, Azoulay informed the Knesset, which launched an epidemiological investigation to determine if any other lawmakers or parliamentary staff were exposed.

The MK’s entire staff and those who have been in contact with him must go into quarantine.

According to the Kikar Shabbat news site, Azoulay and his wife were sick for several days prior to testing positive for the coronavirus and both apparently contracted the virus from a family member.

Before Azoulay, Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata was most recently diagnosed with the coronavirus in August.

Then-health minister Yaakov Litzman of United Torah Judaism was infected in April, Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz was diagnosed in August, and Joint List MK Sami Abou Shahadeh caught the disease in June, forcing a shutdown of the Knesset.

Earlier Tuesday evening, Corona Czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein went into a 14-day isolation after being exposed to an infected Health Ministry staffer.