Blue and White fails to follow coronavirus rules at party meeting

Immigration Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who was recently confirmed as infected with coronavirus, was at the meeting, but only a few participants entered quarantine.

Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz at the weekly cabinet meeting, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on June 28, 2020. (photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benny Gantz at the weekly cabinet meeting, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem on June 28, 2020.
(photo credit: OLIVIER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
Blue and White officials failed to follow coronavirus regulations during a party meeting on Friday, with images published by KAN news showing MKs and ministers sitting close together without masks.
Immigration Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata, who was recently confirmed as infected with coronavirus, was present at the meeting, but only seven of the participants at the meeting entered quarantine.
A picture from the meeting showed Tamano-Shata sitting close to Tourist Minister Asaf Zamir, both of them without masks.
Zamir, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz, Deputy Minister Gadi Yevarkan, MK Tehilla Friedman, MK Ayelet Shaked and MK David Bitan were required to enter quarantine after coming into contact with Tamano-Shata.
KAN asked the coronavirus hotline about quarantine regulations for someone who was at an indoors event where a coronavirus patient was present and people were without masks and not keeping two meters distance.
"She needs to enter quarantine. Definitely," said the coronavirus hotline representative, adding that even if they were keeping two meters distance between participants, they would still need to enter quarantine.
"We have to be very careful about these things - a minimum of failures," said Blue and White leader, Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, according to KAN news. "The challenge of putting on masks is a human challenge. I discussed the matter at the faction meeting and said I think we should be careful about these things."
Gantz and Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper told KAN that the meeting took place as the participants ate breakfast and that was why some of the participants were not wearing masks in the pictures.