Person on Israeli PM's flight from UAE tests COVID positive

TEL AVIV, Israel — A idiosyncratic who was connected Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s formation backmost from the United Arab Emirates has tested affirmative for COVID-19, the premier minister’s bureau said Tuesday.

Bennett returned to Israel connected Monday from a historical two-day travel to the Gulf Arab state, the archetypal by an Israeli person to the country, which precocious normalized ties with Israel.

He was successful a three-day quarantine connected Tuesday arsenic per Health Ministry regulations, which necessitate each returning travelers, adjacent those vaccinated, to self-isolate. He was expected to instrumentality a coronavirus trial connected Wednesday, besides successful enactment with wellness regulations, and past extremity his quarantine if helium tests negative, the premier minister’s bureau said.

Bennett’s bureau did not specify who the idiosyncratic was who tested positive.

Bennett was meant to beryllium accompanied by a phalanx of Israeli and overseas journalists and a sizeable entourage connected the visit. But a time earlier his departure, journalists were notified that due to the fact that of concerns implicit omicron, the caller coronavirus variant, they would not beryllium joining and that Bennett’s entourage would beryllium downsized.

Since the omicron strain emerged, Israel has sealed its borders to overseas travelers and placed limits connected Israelis flying abroad. It has barred question to each countries successful sub-Saharan Africa and imposed self-quarantine requirements for each returning travelers.

Bennett’s travel this week to the UAE came against the backdrop of atomic talks betwixt satellite powers and determination archrival Iran implicit its tattered atomic deal.

The travel besides cemented the normalization statement signed by Israel and the UAE nether the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, which besides saw akin deals betwixt Israel and Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.