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A secretary in the prime minister’s office contracted COVID-19, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu probably won’t need to isolate himself, his office said Sunday.
“Based on a preliminary investigation, it appears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not need to go into quarantine, because he was in a different room and did not come into contact with her,” a statement said.
Netanyahu has been quarantined multiple times since the start of the pandemic for exposure to sick staff members.
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In recent days, the prime minister has said that he would like to become the first Israeli to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, which could happen next week.
The latest case comes days after Netanyahu attended an event with Likud MK David Bitan, who was later diagnosed with the coronavirus and hospitalized on Saturday night.
Bitan, 60, was taken to Sheba Medical Center when his oxygen levels dropped, it was announced Sunday. According to Hebrew-language media reports, he was in intensive care.
Bitan, who chairs the Knesset’s Committee on Immigration and Absorption, was among the politicians who welcomed the new immigrants from Ethiopia a few days before their diagnosis.
The ceremony was also attended by Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and other senior government officials, although politicians wore masks at the open-air welcome event at Ben Gurion Airport.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, second from left, and his wife Sarah, third from left, greet members of the Ethiopian Jewish community as they arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, outside Tel Aviv, on December 3, 2020. (Amos Ben Gershon / GPO).
Netanyahu’s office said last week that he would not isolate himself as he was exposed to Bitan for less than 15 minutes, according to Channel 13.
A statement issued on behalf of Bitan on Sunday said he had received treatment at home in recent days, but was hospitalized after his oxygen saturation levels fell.
The decision to take the legislator to the hospital was made in consultation with a doctor, the statement read.
The Knesset Guard announced Monday that Bitan had tested positive for the virus.
“I feel fine, I only have mild symptoms,” Bitan said of her condition in a Twitter post. Parliament said it was tracking Bitan’s contacts, but no information was offered on where he is believed to have been infected.
According to Channel 12 news, Bitan continued to meet with people prior to her diagnosis despite feeling unwell and having a cough. Around 30 people were reportedly forced to self-quarantine as a result of the MK not following the directive to stay home when feeling unwell.
Likud MK Miki Zohar announced that he would go into quarantine after meeting with Bitan on Thursday.
Bitan joins a handful of lawmakers and ministers who have contracted the virus, including then-Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, Immigration Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, Joint List Leader Ayman Odeh, Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel , Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz and Shas MK Yinon Azoulay.
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