100 people, including toddlers, in quarantine in small Samarian yishuv

An MDA worker, his wife and two children were all diagnosed with the coronavirus.

By CELIA JEAN
PIctured is the family from the Shomron community positively diagnosed with the coronavirus (photo credit: ROI HADI)
PIctured is the family from the Shomron community positively diagnosed with the coronavirus
(photo credit: ROI HADI)
More than 100 people, including 33 toddlers, have been instructed to go into quarantine in the Einav settlement in Samaria after close family members of a Magen David Adom worker with coronavirus tested positive. The MDA employee was the first to be diagnosed with the virus without knowing its origin, according the Health Ministry.
The mother, father and two of their children, were diagnosed on Monday afternoon and were transferred to the coronavirus isolation unit at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer.
The mother of the family is a caregiver at the preschool in Einav. Her co-workers at the preschool, as well as all the children who attend and their families, have been asked to go into home quarantine, according to a letter sent out by the Shomron Regional Council in cooperation with the Health Ministry.
Currently, the number of people who need to go into quarantine is 100, but that number is expected to go up. An emergency command center, which includes professionals from the community has been opened up, according to council chairman Yossi Dagan.
The letter explaining the complicated situation was sent out to the community Tuesday morning, after the council held an emergency meeting Monday evening.
In the letter, the quarantine was announced, as well as a statement from the Health Ministry requesting information on anyone who returned from abroad before February 20, in an attempt to identify where the MDA worker had contracted the virus. The community was also informed that, in consultation with their rabbi, the community's Purim party would be cancelled, although other community activities are expected to continue as normal.
"We are in a complex and delicate situation with difficult days ahead of us," Dagan said.
"We are working side by side with the Health Ministry and the leadership of the Einav community," he said. "We are working together for the sake of the community's health, while taking into account the quality of life for healthy people and those are assisting the quarantined. 
"The community is known for its strength and ability to handle complex situations, and we believe that we will be able to deal with this situation," Dagan said. "We do what we can to provide the best possible response for residents while still following all the guidelines of the professionals."