Rivlin holds tête-à-tête with Health Ministry on coronavirus in Australia

Australia's main apprehension was the possibility that Israel would quarantine travelers hailing from there, and that Israeli citizens would be warned against travel to the country.

By ZACHARY KEYSER
PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN makes friends with a koala bear (photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
PRESIDENT REUVEN RIVLIN makes friends with a koala bear
(photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
President Reuven Rivlin spoke with Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz and Health Minister Yaakov Litzman after his scheduled meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison Wednesday morning.
The president relayed concerns detailed by the Australian government regarding cooperation to tackle the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. The main apprehension was the possibility that Israel would quarantine travelers hailing from Australia, and that Israeli citizens would be warned against travel to the country.
Morrison assured Rivlin that Israel doesn't have to worry about travelers leaving Australia, since every case that has surfaced there has been met with a swift response, preventing anyone else from contracting the virus in the country.
Out of the 23 people arriving in Australia with the coronavirus, 15 of them originated from the epicenter of the outbreak in Wuhan, China. In all of those cases the patients were quarantined in Australia and recovered. The other eight afflicted travelers had been on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where over 3,700 passengers had been confined to the ship for at least two weeks. Most of the crew still remain on board, and will undergo another two weeks of quarantine. The Australians who were on the ship are currently recovering in quarantine somewhere in northern Australia. There have been no other cases reported in the country, originating from quarantined travelers.
“I have no doubt that we must have the health of Israeli citizens at the forefront of our minds, but I thought it right that you know what was presented to me before making a decision such as this, with all its implications,” said Rivlin.
Litzman explained to the president that his ministry is performing daily situational assessments regarding the matter. At the moment there are no special instructions regarding travelers returning from Australia and no special guidelines or warnings that have been issued to Israeli citizens regarding travel to the country.


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