Benjamin Netanyahu to Go Into Quarantine After Aide Tests Positive for COVID-19

JERUSALEM, Israel - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu' will enter self-quarantine after one of his aides tested positive for coronavirus. 

The premier has undergone testing to see if he has the virus. He will remain in quarantine until he receives the results or is cleared by the health ministry and his personal doctor. 

“Even before the epidemiological investigation is over and to remove all doubt, the prime minister has decided that he and his close staff will remain in isolation until the epidemiological investigation is completed,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Netanyahu’s aide Rivka Paluch tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday but it remains unclear if the prime minister had any close contact with her. 

Before announcing his quarantine, Netanyahu's office said he had not been in the same room with Paluch in the last two weeks. 

“The initial assessment is that there is no need for the prime minister to be in quarantine since he was not in close contact with the patient and did not meet with her,” the PMO said. “Likewise, from an initial check, the two were not together in the same room for the past fortnight. The epidemiological investigation is ongoing.”

However, Israeli media reported that Netanyahu did meet with Paluch. 

Israel's Channel 12 News reported that Netanyahu met with Paluch on Thursday. 

Paluch is one of the more than 4,300 Israelis who have been infected with the new virus. Sixteen have died.

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