Friday January 24, 2025

Israeli army cancels leave due to sharp rise in COVID-19 infections

Published : 06 Jan 2021, 00:03

DF News Desk

Israeli soldiers conduct epidemiological investigation as part of the army's effort to trace chains of infection to curb the spread of COVID-19. File Photo Xinhua.

The Israeli army announced on Tuesday the cancellation of soldiers' leaves as part of an effort to stem the recent sharp rise in COVID-19 infections, reported Xinhua.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) instructed soldiers, who will return to their bases after vacations, to prepare for a long stay of one month at their bases.

This order applies to all soldiers of the combat units, training bases, and "closed" units, where soldiers stay overnight.

According to the IDF, there are currently 747 active COVID-19 patients among soldiers, compared to only 91 cases registered on Nov. 9.

Also, 9,166 soldiers are currently under home quarantine, after close contact with coronavirus patients, compared with 1,464 under quarantine on Nov. 9.

The IDF also limited the number of people participating in a discussion to a maximum of six, while the number of soldiers staying inside an indoor place to a maximum of 30.