Israel confirms coronavirus in man who returned from Italy

Israel on Thursday confirmed that a man who had recently returned from Italy had tested positive for coronavirus and said it was barring entry to non-Israelis who had visited Italy in the past two weeks.

The man returned from Italy four days ago and tested positive after developing symptoms, according to the Health Ministry. The ministry said it has tracked down individuals he had been in contact with since his return and ordered them to stay in home isolation for 14 days.

Before this case, two Israeli passengers from the virus-stricken cruise ship Diamond Princess who tested positive have been treated in an Israeli hospital. Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri added Italy to a list of countries from which travel for non-Israelis was banned. The list includes China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan.