An Israeli national who was recently evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship near Japan has tested positive for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the Israeli Health Ministry said on Friday
TEL AVIV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2020) An Israeli national who was recently evacuated from the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship near Japan has tested positive for the new coronavirus, COVID-19, the Israeli Health Ministry said on Friday.
"An examination at the Health Ministry's main laboratory showed that one of the passengers, who returned from the ship in Japan, tested positive for the coronavirus," the statement said.
A total of 11 Israelis were evacuated from the cruise ship, which has been anchored near the Japanese port of Yokohama, on Friday and placed in the Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv, where they will spend the next 14 days in an isolated quarantine area.
In February, the Israeli Health Ministry introduced a mandatory two-week at-home quarantine for citizens who had recently visited China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Macao. These people are barred from visiting public places and using public transportation.
COVID-19 was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late December and has since spread to more than 20 countries. The virus has already resulted in 2,200 fatalities, with over 76,000 people having been infected.
