Israeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, a
leading member of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, has tested
positive for COVID-19, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to
re-enter precautionary quarantine, officials said Thursday.
According to the prime minister’s
office, Netanyahu’s previous quarantine, imposed earlier this week after
one of his staffers tested positive for the novel coronavirus, had
ended Wednesday night.
The premier’s new seven-day self-isolation was imposed following his contacts with the 71-year-old Litzman..
Litzman of the Gur Hassidic sect — whose
wife also tested positive — is the most prominent member of the
hard-hit ultra-Orthodox community to test positive for the virus that
has infected more than 6,200 Israelis.
“Litzman and his wife feel well, are
receiving treatment and will be quarantined and supervised,” a health
ministry statement said.
The ministry added that its Director
General, Moshe Bar Siman Tov, along with other senior officials, will
also enter quarantine following contacts with Litzman.
Israeli media also reported that the
head of the Mossad spy agency, Yossi Cohen, may also be compelled to
self-isolate after having had contact with Litzman, but that information
could not be immediately confirmed.