IDF continues to call up reservists to deal with Coronavirus
Currently, there are 2,236 soldiers in quarantine.
By ANNA AHRONHEIMTravelers wearing masks chat in the arrivals terminal after Israel said it will require anyone arriving from overseas to self-quarantine for 14 days as a precaution against the spread of coronavirus, at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel(photo credit: REUTERS/RONEN ZEVULUN)
As the number of Israelis infected with the novel coronavirus continues to climb, the IDF has called up dozens of reservists to help the Home Front Command.According to a statement provided to The Jerusalem Post, around 70 reservists will be called up.In addition, the military has called up another 100 medical reservists to assist with the call center set up by Magen David Adom to deal with calls from those who are concerned they might have contracted the virus.On Monday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that anyone landing in Israel must adhere to a 14-day-long quarantine period. Earlier in the day, the IDF announced that any soldier returning from abroad, even from countries that have not been affected by the virus, will not be able to serve for two weeks.As of Tuesday afternoon, 58 Israeli citizens, including one female soldier, have been diagnosed with the virus. According to the IDF, as of Monday, 2,236 soldiers have entered quarantine (including a battalion commander), the majority of whom recently returned from vacations overseas or came into contact with someone who was diagnosed with the virus. Hundreds of soldiers have returned to their units after spending two weeks in quarantine. One female soldier has so far been diagnosed with the virus.On Friday, the IDF announced that no soldiers would be able to leave Israel, in order to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. The decision was made by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi in accordance with the Health Ministry’s guidelines and following a situational assessment with the military’s General Staff.According to IDF Spokesman Brig.-Gen Hidai Zilberman, Kochavi and other senior officials held a two-hour-long assessment on Monday morning regarding the continued spread of the virus in Israel, and decided to maintain the strict approach to reduce the number of soldiers exposed to the virus in order to maintain the IDF’s operational readiness, which is essential to the security of the State of Israel.The spokesman said that while the virus has not yet caused a major disruption to the IDF’s activities, there are concerns that it may in the future.As such, the military has placed restrictions on events, ceremonies, conferences and gatherings with events in closed areas limited to 100 people and outdoors events limited to 500 people. While civilian family members will not be allowed to attend military events such as graduation ceremonies, Zilberman said that the military will work to put in place other options to watch them, such as live streaming on Facebook.Individuals from abroad who arrived from Europe this week to volunteer at IDF bases will return to their countries, and future groups have been instructed not to come to Israel until further notice.
The military is also readying itself, in the event that it is called up to take part in national measures along with various government ministries concerning the virus, by holding war games to understand how to prepare accordingly.The IDF is also making preparations for the future use of military facilities to care for those diagnosed with the virus, and to assist both the civilian population and the police with enforcing quarantine, and providing medical supplies and food if needed.
