Nearly 50 new immigrants to Israel potentially exposed to coronavirus on flight

(JTA) — A new immigrant who arrived in Israel on an immigration flight from North America has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Nefesh B’Nefesh, the Israel immigration group that organized the flight that brought 51 Americans to the Jewish state on Tuesday, confirmed the positive test result on Wednesday, The Times of Israel reported.

The woman reportedly received the positive result from an American lab after arriving in Israel, having tested positive for antibodies prior to the flight. Her daughter, who accompanied her on the flight, tested negative for the virus.

Nefesh told The Times of Israel that the woman had taken proper precautions on the flight, wearing a mask and maintaining “proper hygiene.” But an unnamed passenger told The Times of Israel that the rules were not widely observed.

“People were close to each other and had their masks off; they were standing in the aisles talking to each other without masks. I did not feel safe at all,” the passenger said.

All the passengers on the flight were required to self-quarantine after their arrival per current Israeli government regulations.

The flight follows what Nefesh says is a record-breaking month for interest in immigrating to Israel. Nearly 800 applications were submitted to the group in May, the highest monthly total ever.