The Health Ministry on Wednesday morning asked residents of the Arab village Deir al-Asad, in the Galilee region, to remain in their homes due to an "unusually high rate" of coronavirus spread in the community.
The residents of the neighboring villages of Majd al-Krum, Bi'ina and Nahf were also asked to stay indoors.
As of Wednesday morning, there are 23 confirmed cases in Deir al-Asad, four in Nahf, three in Bi'ina and one in Majd al-Krum. Deir al-Asad has a population of over 12,000 people.
The Health Ministry said the epidemiological investigation of the cases indicates there could be “hundreds” of potential infections in the area.
“The Health Ministry, in coordination with the Home Front Command, Magen David Adom, the local councils and Israel Police are managing the events,” said the ministry in a statement.
The municipality of the neighboring city of Karmiel said in light of the high rate of the virus spread in the nearby towns, it was decided to put up checkpoints at all entrances to the northern city.
Health authorities said as of Wednesday morning there are 510 confirmed coronavirus cases in the Arab sector in Israel. There are 12,200 confirmed cases around the country, with the death toll from COVID-19 currently standing at 126.