Israel to quarantine tens of thousands over coronavirus

JERUSALEM

In a bid to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, Israel has placed more than 60,000 people in self-quarantine for a period of two weeks, according to Israeli media on Thursday.

It added that Israel has begun to ban the entry of tourists coming from various European countries including Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany.

For Israeli citizens returning from these countries, the Israeli Health Ministry is requiring a 14-day medical quarantine period.

So far, the Israeli Health Ministry confirmed that 15 Israelis contracted the virus, according to the daily Haaretz.

Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth also reported that 150 of Israel's El Al Airlines staff have placed themselves under quarantine, with the latest figure bringing the total number of infections to over 2,900.

The new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has now spread to more than 80 countries.

The global death toll is nearing 3,500, with more than 95,000 confirmed cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The WHO, which had declared the outbreak an international health emergency, recently updated the global risk level to "very high."

* Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara