Travel warning extended to other East Asian countries amid coronavirus crisis

Foreign Ministry denounces new precautions as 'unprecedented diplomatic damage' to Israel; anyone returning from Asia and showing symptoms, to report to closest clinic and refrain from public spaces for 14 days
Inbal Tvizer, Reuters|
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The Health Ministry on Sunday has announced the extension of travel warnings to other East Asian countries considering the continued spreading of the deadly coronavirus.
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    • Among the new destinations included are Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, Honk Kong, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, and Taiwan.
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    חיטוי תא נוסעים במטוס בסין    חיטוי תא נוסעים במטוס בסין
    Chinese plane tested for corona infection
    (Photo: Reuters)
    This comes as an addition to the existing travel warning to China, where the virus originated.
    The ministry will conduct an official meeting later Sunday regarding the new preventive measures.
    The Foreign Ministry slammed the new precautions on Sunday, calling them "unprecedented diplomatic damage."
    "The Ministry of Health is causing unprecedented political damage," said an official in the ministry. "Israel is the first in the world to take such a step."
    Last Friday, the ministry announced that anyone returning from the countries included in the extended warning is obligated to refrain from appearing in public spaces for 14 days and returning travelers who show possible symptoms are required to arrive immediately to the closest clinic or hospital.
    Anyone who answers to the following criteria - was in contact with someone who is a confirmed patient of the coronavirus, visited one of the listed countries in the last two weeks, has a temperature of above 38 Celsius (100 Fahrenheit), cough, heavy breathing or any other respiratory symptom - is required to report in order to get tested.
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    נגיף וירוס קורונה אנשים לובשים מסכות ההולכות ברחוב בבייג'ינג, סין    נגיף וירוס קורונה אנשים לובשים מסכות ההולכות ברחוב בבייג'ינג, סין
    Citizens in Beijing with masks
    (Photo: EPA)
    China raised the death toll from its coronavirus outbreak to 811 on Sunday, passing the number killed globally by the SARS epidemic, as authorities made plans for millions of people returning to work after an extended Lunar New Year break.
    Also on Sunday, Israel's flag carrier El Al Airlines has decided to cancel its flights to Hong Kong this week, following the outbreak of the deadly pathogen. The last flight will depart Sunday night. This follows a similar flight ban imposed by the national air service on flights to Beijing last month.
    Many of China's usually teeming cities have almost become ghost towns during the past two weeks as Communist Party rulers ordered virtual lockdowns, canceled flights and closed factories and schools.
    Even on Monday, many workplaces and schools will remain closed and many white-collar employees will work from home.
    The scale of the potential hit to an economy that has been the engine of global growth in recent years has taken a toll on financial markets, as shares slumped and investors switched into safe havens such as gold, bonds, and the Japanese yen.
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    2.
    To ask, 2020.
    The Asian people serve to ask aid, to the rest of the humankindpeople,on Earth and beyond, to solve/to end this/that/it, for the benefit of all of us.
    Sjoerd van der Velde| 02.09.20
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    1.
    Don't Play with Public Health
    The Foreign Ministry must keep in mind that this unknown pandemic has infected more than 35,000 people since last January 23, the tragic day that the city of Wuhan was isolated from the rest of the world. In the 18 days since then, he has already killed more than 800 people. The SARS reached this figure after 8 months. Of the 35,000 affected, the number of cured cases barely reaches 1,500, however, they can still transmit the virus. Some British whistle-blowers are warning daily that the official figures are only one tenth of the real ones so as not to unleash the panic of the Chinese people. In Taiwan there are widespread rumors that Chinese doctors are ordered to falsify the causes of death on death certificates to keep artificially low the number of deaths from coronavirus. The Foreign Ministry should be proud that Israel was the first in the world to take this preventive measure to protect its citizens. The rest of the countries, starting with the U.K. next week, will follow its footsteps.
    Francis Gach Leatsa| 02.09.20
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