Israeli MK Yoaz Hendel (Blue & White) was forced to self-quarantine on Wednesday following the Health Ministry’s new directives that anyone returning from Germany, Austria, Spain, France and Switzerland must self-quarantine for 14 days.

Hendel returned from a trip to Austria last week, where he served as a Knesset envoy at an anti-Semitism conference.

Upon his return, he immediately jumped into the final days of the Blue & White campaign for the elections on Monday, mingling with thousands of people. He also served reserve duty at the Northern Command for two days after the elections.

Former IDF soldier and Hamas captive Gilad Shalit, who recently announced his engagement to be married, is also currently in quarantine following a trip to Austria as well as famed Israeli Israeli businesswoman Shari Arison, the wealthiest woman in Israel,

The news about Shalit’s self-quarantine went viral due to a tweet from the satirical Twitter account The Mossad: Elite Parody Division referencing the controversial prisoner exchange that Israel engaged in to secure Shalit’s release.

BREAKING:
Gilad Shalit will be in quarantine for 14 days after returning from Austria. He can shorten it to 7 but we'd have to release 1000 Palestinian prisoners. pic.twitter.com/jBq4uqF8JY

— The Mossad: Satirical, Yet Awesome (@TheMossadIL) March 4, 2020

“BREAKING: Gilad Shalit will be in quarantine for 14 days after returning from Austria. He can shorten it to 7 but we’d have to release 1000 Palestinian prisoners.”

Also a number of well-known Israeli reporters have been forced to self-quarantine. One reporter interviewed Shimon Dahan, an Israeli who was quarantined on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, was hospitalized in Japan after being diagnosed with the coronavirus, recovered, released and returned to Israel. However, hours after arriving in Israel he tested positive for the virus and the reporter who interviewed him in the airport was instructed to self-quarantine.

בוקר טוב, זהו שער מעריב השבוע ליום חמישי, ה-5.3.2020>>>https://t.co/cwZBB8JQiw pic.twitter.com/Z65GocwTCq

— מעריב אונליין (@MaarivOnline) March 5, 2020

Other reporters had to enter self-quarantine after returning from assignments in European countries which were added to Israel’s list of high-risk countries on Wednesday.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)