Member of Knesset Infected with Coronavirus
Member of Knesset (MK) Sami Abu Shehadeh has been infected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19), the second Israeli lawmaker to contract the virus.
The Knesset Photo by Esty Dziubov/TPS
The Knesset stated that Abu Shehadeh, of the Arab-majority Joint List party, notified the Knesset’s officer Joseph Griff after receiving the results of the test.
In consultation with the Knesset’s management, it was decided to hold a professional evaluation session in the Knesset on Thursday, as well as to consult with Ministry of Health officials to examine the required actions.
All Knesset employees were instructed Thursday morning not to come to the parliament if their work was not essential. All committee meetings scheduled for Thursday have been postponed.
Abu Shehadeh appealed to anyone who came in contact with him to enter quarantine and get tested.
“I ask everyone to follow the instructions of the Ministry of Health, all of us must internalize that the battle [against Corona] is not over yet. The virus still exists among us and supposedly returning to the routine helps the virus spread in a large and fast way. Wishing lots of health to all of us,” he stated.
Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman was diagnosed with COVID-19 at the beginning of April.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other MKs have come in contact with infected individuals but did not contract the virus themselves.
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday night updated that the number of active Corona patients in Israel was 2,103, with 27 in serious condition, 25 of them in life support
291 patients have died, the majority of who were elderly and suffered from other prior illnesses.
Since the outbreak of the virus in Israel 17,377 have been diagnosed as positive for the virus, of which 14,983 have recovered.
