After all flights to their country were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, South Korean nationals will be airlifted out of Israel from Monday at the expense of the Israeli government.
Israeli and South Korean airliners will participate in the airlift that will transport the South Koreans stranded in Israel on direct flights to Seoul.
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South Korean nationals in a secluded area at the Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Medical officials will monitor the health of passengers before they board.
The planes will then return to Israel and undergo a process to disinfect them.
3 View gallery
South Korean nationals in a secluded area at the Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Airport authorities said the Korean Air passengers who could not board their flight home over the weekend because of the government's decision to bar entry of non-Israelis from South Korea will be able to leave Sunday on connecting flights.
The hundreds of South Koreans have been held in a secluded tented area in the airport.
3 View gallery
South Korean nationals in a secluded area at the Ben Gurion Airport
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Tables, chairs and light refreshments were brought in and food, mattresses, and bedding were to be delivered to the stranded passengers in the course of the evening.
The airport authorities say they expect more South Korean tourists to arrive from various locations in Israel.
The government has called on all citizens of South Korea currently in Israel and who are unable to remain to arrive at the airport. Many have been turned away from hotels fearing the spread of the coronavirus.
Some 200 visitors from South Korea will be held in seclusion at Ben -Gurion Airport after plans to house them in a military base in the West Bank settlement of Har Gilo met with the strong resistance of residents.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri said visitors from South Korea and Japan will no longer be allowed to enter Israel in addition to travelers from China, Thailand, Macau, Singapore and Hong Kong.
First published: 22:24, 02.23.20