President Reuven Rivlin will not have to be quarantined following his return from Australia.
A report from the President's spokesperson stated that Rivlin had telephoned Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman, following his meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. During the conversation, Rivlin conveyed Australia's concerns about the possibility that the State of Israel, as opposed to other countries, would require those returning to Australia to be quarantined and that Israeli citizens would be warned not to travel there, which was widely misinterpreted by the Israeli media.
This led to erroneous reporting and caused a major headache for the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
The Embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission, Steven Yates, double checked with Israel's Health Ministry, which provided him with guidelines in English for travelers – who had arrived from mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Macau, South Korea, Japan and Italy in the last 14 days, and who had been there for any duration – to avoid public places such as schools, workplaces, public transportation, recreation and shopping.
The quarantine does not apply to travelers who only had a connecting flight.
Most people traveling between Israel and Australia travel via Hong Kong, South Korea or Thailand, taking connecting flights in both directions. The wait for a connection is almost always several hours – sometimes as many as ten – and this may account for the erroneous interpretation by some reporters.
El Al is due to launch direct flights to Melbourne in April.
In view of the guidelines set down by the Health Ministry, there is currently no ban on travel to and from Australia.
Thus, no special polling booth will be set up at the President's Residence. President Rivlin will vote as usual on March 2, at the Yefe Nof School near his private home.