Israel temporarily closed diplomatic missions in several countries worldwide due to COVID infections, Foreign Ministry Director-General Alon Ushpiz announced, according to Israeli media.
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As of Monday, Israel's consulate in San Francisco and its embassies in Angola and the Philippines closed due to infections and isolation among Foreign Ministry staff, The Times of Israel reported, citing Ushpiz.
Missions in South America also experienced brief closures, the report said.
Foreign Ministry staff in Israel and abroad work in pods in an attempt to limit the spread of the virus.
In total, 13 people at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem were sick with COVID on Monday, and six more were in isolation.
Abroad, 142 staffers were infected, including diplomats, their families, and local hires, and 89 more were in quarantine.
"Ultimately, it's the responsibility of the heads of missions, and also the personal responsibility of the people working there," said Ushpiz on a Zoom call.
"There is no difference in that respect between this issue and the security challenges we deal with."
The Foreign Ministry, in February, began flying diplomats and staffers into Israel to receive vaccinations.
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According to Health Ministry figures published Tuesday, a total of 10,644 new cases were recorded in Israel over the previous 24 hours, the highest since early September.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
