Israel's envoy to Germany tests positive for COVID-19

By Mustafa Deveci

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel's ambassador to Germany has been tested positive for the coronavirus, Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

Jeremy Issacharoff and an Israeli diplomat at the Embassy in Berlin were reported to have contracted the virus, following a meeting with a deputy from the Federal Assembly of Germany, whose name was not mentioned.

Issacharoff and the other diplomat are said to be in good condition.

Israel's embassy in Berlin was closed as of March 13, while all diplomats in the Embassy were quarantined in their homes.

COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China last December, and has spread to at least 163 countries and territories. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a pandemic.

Out of over 196,000 confirmed cases, the death toll now exceeds 7,900, while over 81,000 patients have recovered, according to Worldometer, a website that compiles new case numbers.

The current number of active cases is more than 106,000 -- 93% mild and 7% in critical condition.

*Writing by Erdogan Cagatay Zontur