The cabinet on Sunday is set to approve emergency regulations mandating that all arrivals through Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport enter immediate state-controlled quarantine. The move is part of the country's efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus by those coming from abroad, the Prime Minister's Office said.
According to the Defense Ministry, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed that the Defense Ministry will take full responsibility for the matter, which until now fell to the Health Ministry.
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According to available details, all arrivals will be housed at state-run quarantine hotels for 14 days to ensure they have not been infected with the lethal virus.
COVID-19 has so far claimed the lives of 101 Israelis, and over 10,700 have been diagnosed with it. Some 1,341 Israelis have recovered from the disease.
The measure followed ongoing reports that Netanyahu's instructions last week regarding mandatory quarantine for all incoming passengers were not being followed.
Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit had approved the original measure on April 2, saying it was "an important and effective tool" to deal with the spread of coronavirus by those arriving or returning to Israel from abroad.
Also on Sunday, the government's directive requiring Israelis to wear faces masks when venturing outside came into effect.
The move follows the World Health Organization's guidelines on the matter and represents a change in Health Ministry directives, which initially ruled that masks were ineffective against the virus.
Under the new directives, masks must be worn when leaving home and should cover the nose and the mouth. The guidelines do not apply to children under the age of six, people with emotional, mental or medical conditions that would prevent them from wearing a mask; drivers in their cars, and people alone in a building.
The ministry said that the masks can be homemade, makeshift, or bought, adding that wearing them "greatly reduces the likelihood of being infected and infecting others."
