MDA checking passengers returning from China at Ben-Gurion Airport

Dozens of Israelis arrived on Sunday morning on the last two flights into the country from China before a ban on flights, following the coronavirus outbreak.

In order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in Israel, the Health Ministry set up a stand at Ben-Gurion Airport to check arriving passengers who have traveled to China in the past 14 days, or who many have been in contact with people who were infected by the virus.

The stand opened over the weekend and is operated by Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics and emergency medical teams. They are performing medical checks and questioning arriving passengers, as stipulated by Health Ministry protocols.

MDA director-general Elie Bin participated in the emergency meeting organized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the coronavirus outbreak.

"At Magen David Adom, we responded to the Health Ministry's call, and since this weekend, MDA paramedics and EMTs are stationed at a dedicated stand in Ben-Gurion Airport, 24 hours a day," Bin said.

The MDA stand at the airport is part of the government's efforts to prevent the virus to spread in the country.
"Our preparations [for the virus] will include all branches of the Israeli government," said Netanyahu in an emergency meeting on Sunday morning.

"Our goal is first to delay the arrival of the virus to Israel – I say 'delay' because it is inevitable that it will arrive here – and then to treat, to identify those infected, to isolate them and treat them."

As of February 2, over 14,000 people have been infected by the virus globally, and more than 300 have died.