The infected person was not in quarantine because he did not know that he was sick, meaning that he could have infected many others without realizing it.
The fact that the source of infection is unknown makes connecting and keeping track of cases and preventing new infections much more difficult.
Sunday also marked the first time that there have been 14 new cases in a single day – and the numbers are only expected to rise.
A Health Ministry official told Walla news on Friday that health officials should focus more on the spread within Israel and less on quarantine and the spread coming from other countries.
"We cannot be prisoners to the concept of the political echelon that responds to those entering from outside the country. The virus is here in Israel. We need to identify cases of transfer and to take extreme measures in order to prevent the spread," Prof. Hagai Levin, chairman of the Israeli Association of Public Health Physicians, told Walla.
Levin added that the health system needs manpower, funds and labs, and stressed that there should be less of a focus on border closings and quarantine. "It is very rational to cancel the quarantine on some countries. The quarantine was right in its time," said Levin.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that the country is considering requiring a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers entering the country.
“We estimate that the number will reach thousands, possibly even tens of thousands of patients,” Health Ministry director general Prof. Itamar Grotto said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday. “Unfortunately, the situation is unpreventable. Many of these patients will need to go to the hospital.”