Israel Establishes 14-day Quarantine for Arrivals in Response to Wuhan Virus Outbreak
Jose Nino
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on March 9 that everyone arriving in Israel must undergo a 14 day self-quarantine.
“All those coming to Israel from abroad will be placed in isolation,” he said in a video address.
Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said the measure would be immediately going into effect for all Israelis returning to the country.
Deri continued by noting that this same quarantine will apply to foreign citizens beginning on Thursday.
In other words, foreign arrivals will have to demonstrate that they have adequate arrangements to be quarantined throughout their stay in country.
“After a day of complex discussions, we made a decision: everyone who comes to Israel from abroad will enter the 14-day isolation,” Netanyahu declared in a statement.
“This is a tough decision, but it is essential to maintain public health – and public health precedes everything.”
According Israeli media reports, this means that approximately 268,000 Israelis who are currently traveling abroad would need to self-quarantine upon return.
So far, Israel has recorded 42 cases of Covid-19, but no deaths.
The country has already imposed restrictions on travelers coming from several countries including Italy, one of the other countries most impacted by the coronavirus outside of China.
Unlike most countries, Israel functions like a proper nation-state.
Conservative commentator Paul Joseph Watson noted this on Twitter.
He posted “Israel announces anyone arriving from overseas has to go into quarantine for 14 days. Meanwhile in the EU, it’s open borders as usual.”
Israel announces anyone arriving from overseas has to go into quarantine for 14 days.
Meanwhile in the EU, it's open borders as usual.
— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) March 9, 2020
Europe’s open borders obsession could lead to its eventual undoing.
The coronavirus is just one of many ways that open borders can be exposed, and as a result, the citizenry of open border jurisdictions will be susceptible to illnesses and other socially disruptive events.
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