- Zvi Heifetz travelled from Tel Aviv to Seoul on February 15 with nine South Koreans later confirmed as being infected, Israel says
- But foreign ministry does not explain why he was on the flight or when he returned to the Chinese capital
Israel’s ambassador to China, who last weekend shared a flight from Tel Aviv to Seoul with a group of South Koreans later found to be infected with the coronavirus, has been placed under quarantine in Beijing, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.Zvi Heifetz was aboard the flight on February 15 that was also carrying nine South Koreans who had been on holiday in Israel for the previous eight days, the ministry said on Saturday.
It did not explain why he was on the flight to Seoul or say when he travelled from the South Korean capital to Beijing.
A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Beijing said that although Heifetz was on the flight he was seated in business class some distance away from the tourists and had worn a face mask for the duration of the trip.
“The ambassador feels very well and has been working since he arrived in Beijing,” the person said. “There is a chance the Korean tourists became sick after arriving back in Korea.”