245 Israelis returning from abroad test positive for coronavirus

 

The new “Check2Fly” coronavirus testing lab at Ben-Gurion Airport's Terminal 3,

Some 245 Israelis who returned from abroad tested positive for the coronavirus in the past two weeks, Ynet reported.

Of the 245, some 30 flew to Israel from the US, 16 from Turkey, 27 from Ukraine, 11 from Russia, 8 from Holland and four from England, according to the news site. Some 26 Israelis who tested positive for the coronavirus were retuning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well, according to the report.

All the above countries apart from the UAE are listed as red by the Health Ministry, meaning that Israelis returning from these countries must enter quarantine upon their return.

Some 90 flights that took place over the past two weeks are listed on the Health Ministry site as locations where Israelis may have been exposed to the coronavirus due to the presence of a confirmed patient.

The 245 who tested positive for coronavirus are among the approximately 44,000 Israelis who have returned to Israel from abroad since the beginning of December.

On Sunday, the Health and Transportation ministries decided to update the country's coronavirus travel policies. Many of the new regulations are aimed at preventing the formation of crowds in the airport.  Included in these updates is a doubling of available check-in counters and earlier available check-in times for travelers. 

A team will also be formed to improve the computer interface in order to shorten waiting times during which travelers are grouped together in lines.

The Health Ministry said that it expects around 240 Israelis to return from visits to the UAE with positive COVID-19 diagnoses during the month of December, Haaretz reported Sunday.

Last week, the Foreign Ministry vetoed turning the United Arab Emirates into a “red country,” which would have meant that arrivals to Israel would have to enter quarantine.

The Health Ministry had decided to designate the UAE “red” earlier the same day, due to the large gatherings of Israelis in Dubai in recent weeks, but Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi asked Health Minister Yuli Edelstein to consult with the Foreign Ministry before any future decisions are made about the UAE.

Idan Zonshine and Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.

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