Health Ministry: essential services should plan for coronavirus disruption
The Ministry released new guidelines on Friday morning, including advising employers to limit the travel of their employees
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSIsraeli Health Minister Yaakov Litzman arrives for a situation assessment meeting regarding the novel coronavirus, at the Health Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel February 23, 2020(photo credit: REUTERS/JACK GUEZ)
Due to concerns over the possibility of fatalities from coronavirus within Israel, the Health Ministry has issued new guidelines to companies in a bid to curb the virus's spread, Kan has reported.In a statement, the Ministry has urged all companies and organizations, and particularly essential services, to consider how they will manage absenteeism on a large scale in the coming weeks as increasing numbers of people are quarantined. So far as many as 100,000 Israelis, or just over one percent of the population, are thought to be under home quarantine, but that figure is set to rise.The Ministry has further advised that employers consider imposing a travel ban on employees to prevent incidences of the virus being unwittingly imported, and to ensure hygiene measures are put in place within the workplace, such as washing hands and avoiding close contact between employees.Updated guidelines issued by the Ministry state that a health insurance company representative will contact those who enter isolation on the day they are isolated, and will follow up on the next day. It also stated that the Clinical Virology Laboratory at the Hadassah Medical Center at Ein Kerem will carry out testing for the virus, in addition to the laboratory at the Sheba Medical Center.
