A paramedic wears a protective suit as he prepares in front a “sterile” polling station set up by Israel’s election committee so Israelis in isolation over coronavirus concerns will be able to vote in the national election, in Ashkelon, Israel, March 2, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen.

JNS.org – Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed five new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 55.

Four of the new patients were infected through close contact with people confirmed to have the virus, the ministry said. So far, Israeli health officials have been unable to track the source of infection in only one case.

The latest World Health Organization data show that as of Monday there were 114,431 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide. Some 4,000 people have died of the virus and 64,099 have recovered from infection, according to the WHO.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that as part of Israel’s efforts to stem the outbreak, all nationals returning from abroad will be required to self-quarantine for 14 days. Netanyahu acknowledges the measure was draconian but said it was imperative to minimize the spread of the virus.

Prior to announcing the measure, Netanyahu held a video conference call with European leaders to discuss international cooperation efforts to deal with the outbreak.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban participated in the call, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.