Israel to Draft Reservists to Help Fight Coronavirus Outbreak

(Bloomberg) --

Israel plans to draft as many as 3,000 reservists during the next two weeks to help rein in the coronavirus outbreak, the Defense Ministry said.

The reservists, most from the Home Front Command, will assist with epidemiological investigations and provide extra staffing for quarantine hotels, the ministry said. They’ll also boost the command’s presence in cities with a relatively large number of infections.

There are more than 72,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in Israel to date, including more than 530 fatalities. The plan to involve the military more was pushed by Israel’s new coronavirus czar, who was appointed last month to try to formulate a coherent strategy to combat the surge in cases and deaths that followed Israel’s reopening of its economy after a near-total lockdown.

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