A number of attendees at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference may have come in contact with the lethal coronavirus, but none have yet tested positive, according to event organizers.
A group of people who traveled to the event from New York “potentially” interacted with an individual carrying the illness prior to the conference, AIPAC President Betsy Berns Korn and Chairman Dr. Mort Fridman said in a statement on Wednesday.
“To our knowledge, no one who attended the conference has tested positive for coronavirus at this time,” they said, adding that the attendees in question were now in “self quarantine.”
Important Health Note emailed to Policy Conference attendees, participants, speakers, and administration and Hill offices. pic.twitter.com/QzEKXajJBX
Washington DC health officials said it was a case of “low-risk exposure,” AIPAC went on, noting there was currently no reason to “sound the alarm,” and that the organization simply wanted attendees to be informed of the possible contact.
The Israeli Health Ministry, meanwhile, issued new guidelines for the virus on Wednesday, asking that those returning to the country from “international conferences abroad” to self-isolate at home for 14 days in hopes of limiting the spread of the illness. Israel has confirmed 15 cases of the coronavirus to date, with zero fatalities.
