Number of dead crossed 3,000 • Iran, Italy and South Korea are on the verge of losing control, with hundreds of new cases every day • Plague begins to erupt in Palestinian Authority • Closure imposed on Bethlehem • Inauguration of Knesset will take place without public • IDF canceled orders Reserve • Extensive coverage

Concerned about the spread of the Corona virus, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett ordered the IDF on Thursday and head the government's coordinating operations in the Occupied Territories (PA) to impose a closure on the city of Bethlehem. The move, which will take effect from the evening, was made in coordination with the Palestinian Authority until a new announcement banned the movement of Israelis and Palestinians to and from the city.

Photo: Ami Shamir

The minister's decision was made following several cases of infection with Bethlehem, and after consulting with the National Security Office (MLA) and coordinating government actions in the Occupied Territories, Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukon.

In the meantime, in accordance with assessments of the General Staff and the Ministry of Health's instructions, Chief of Staff, General Aviv Kochavi, ordered a series of measures designed to maintain the IDF's operational competence, to take a strict approach that will reduce the number of soldiers in isolation.

According to the Defense Chief of Staff's order, approved by the Defense Minister, starting tomorrow at 12:00, soldiers will not be allowed on duty and permanently leave abroad, within their duties or privately. In addition, two committees will be set up to examine exceptional cases - in operational and individual aspects.

"The first commission to go abroad is for individual cases that are purely operational. The second deals with the issues of the individual and relates to medical aspects, family events and the like, "explained IDF Spokesman, Brigadier General Hedy Silberman." We also decided to stop all cooperation exercises we have in Israel and abroad, except for exceptions. "

In accordance with the Chief of Staff's instructions, the minimum ceremonies, conferences and gatherings will be reduced, and unnecessary events will be canceled. Ceremonies and gatherings will be held without citizens. In addition, conditions will be set for entry to essential facilities and lodges, as well as for reserving and recruiting the IDF. The border crossings at Rosh Hanikra and Kunitra will be closed to the crossing.

In the meantime, the General Staff exercise scheduled for March 15-15 will be postponed to another date. The reserve orders issued to the reserve personnel will be canceled accordingly, and additional reserve battalion training will be weighed and deferred as needed.

According to the new guidelines, reservists who have been abroad for the past two weeks will not reach the reserve, and recruitment of designated security service abroad during the past two weeks will be rejected.

More of the Corona's impact on Israel: For the first time, the Knesset's inauguration will be held without an audience, for fear of contracting the virus.

Today, police announced that they will launch an investigation against Israelis who violated the Health Ministry's orders regarding Corona. Police say that following several incidents in recent days, "where citizens knowingly ignored Health Ministry directives calling them to stay in solitary confinement, or committed crimes against Health Department inspectors or deceived Health Department inspectors when questioned, the Israeli police decided to initiate criminal investigations in accordance with policy and guidelines Violation violators. "

The Health Ministry filed a police complaint yesterday against Corona patient Meir Cohen, the owner of the "Red Pirate" store diagnosed as a Corona patient last Thursday. The complaint was filed after it emerged that he had lied to the epidemiologic investigation he had conducted after being diagnosed.

The office updated today that a woman from New York, who is currently there, was diagnosed with the Corona virus last night in the United States. The woman visited Israel on February 23-27, 2020 and stayed in Jerusalem. The woman (in her fifties, with no symptoms of illness) had close contact with a Corona patient Proven hospitalized in New York.

Also, according to Palestinian reports this morning, four patients were discovered at a hotel in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem. The source of the infection is apparently Greek tourists who infect four workers at the hotel.

At the same time, around the world, the Corona crisis has reached another significant milestone, with close to 100,000 cases of the virus being detected. More than 97,000 definite cases have been identified to date, including 3,013 deaths, most of them in China.

The lone bright spot is that at least 53,600 cases ended in recovery, and in fact only 40,000 infection cases are still considered "active."

In the United Kingdom today reported the first death case in the country, of a man who already had health background problems. The British Ministry of Health has also ordered people returning from Italy, which is the biggest locus of the virus in Europe, to quarantine. In effect, the British adopted Israel's guidelines.

Also, in Italy the number of dead from the virus rose to 148, after another 41 people fell victim to the disease. The number of carriers in the boot country rose in another 769, reaching 3,858 cases scattered throughout the state. In the Indian capital New Delhi announced the closure of the elementary education system, which includes two million students. The number of Corona cases in New York rose to 22, effectively doubling the state. Overall, the number of cases in the U.S. at present is 176.

Photo: Reuters

Meanwhile, the British Telegraph reported that Chinese researchers had already been able to detect a mutation of the virus. The new version is more aggressive and was probably responsible for the infection when the plague started in China, Wuhan Province.

And there are also more amusing sides to the crisis. For example, in Australia, where a toilet paper scare following the virus led one of the country's newspapers, "NT News," to publish a special issue some of which looked like toilet paper so readers could cut it into pieces and use it. At Starbucks, it was decided not to allow customers to receive their order in a glass they brought from home to prevent the spread of the disease.

In the meantime, it is still unclear what the fate of some 2,500 people will be aboard a cruise ship that was on its way back to San Francisco after a passenger who was previously on the ship became the first victim of Corona's disease in California. The "Grand Princess" ship was in the midst of a 15-day voyage and was expected to return on Saturday. However, the shipping company shortened the cruise, after it became clear that a passenger on board the ship and got off the virus died.