Israel’s Netanyahu Goes Into Quarantine After Aide Tests Positive for CCP Virus

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives for a speech at his Jerusalem office on March 14, 2020. (Gali Tibbon/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu entered quarantine after one of his aides tested positive for the CCP virus.

The Epoch Times refers to the novel coronavirus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, as the CCP virus because the Chinese Communist Party’s coverup and mismanagement allowed the virus to spread throughout China before it was transmitted worldwide

Netanyahu and some of his staffers were entering self-isolation after Rivka Paluch, a Netanyahu adviser, tested positive for the new illness, Netanyahu’s office said.

“Even before the epidemiological investigation is over and to remove all doubt, the prime minister has decided that he and his close staff will remain in isolation until the epidemiological investigation is completed,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

“According to the findings, the Health Ministry and the personal physician of the prime minister will set a day to end the isolation.”

The prime minister tested negative for the new illness on March 15 but would undergo another test by Tuesday.

A day earlier, Netanyahu’s office said there was no need for him to enter quarantine because he “was not in close contact with the patient and did not meet with her.”

The prime minister and his aide “were not together in the same room for the past fortnight,” the office added.

Worshippers pray in distance from each other at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City amid CCP virus restrictions on March 26, 2020 (Ammar Awad/Reuters)

Paluch’s husband has also tested positive for COVID-19, according to Israeli media reports.

Israel imposed some of the strictest measures in the world last month in a bid to halt the spread of the CCP virus, including a near-total lockdown that requires people to stay home unless they’re on trips for essential needs.

The number of cases in the country stood at 3,865 as of Sunday, with 15 deaths.

The new virus is believed to primarily spread between people in close contact through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Common symptoms include fever, fatigue, and a dry cough.

Other symptoms include shortness of breath, aches and pains, and a sore throat.

About 80 percent of patients experience mild or moderate symptoms and do not require hospitalization, according to health experts.

The mortality rate differs between countries depending on the success of social distancing measures and how well healthcare systems hold  up under increased strain.

No vaccine or proven treatment exists but many patients around the world have recovered through symptom treatment, rest, and supportive care.