Netanyahu's residential guards test positive for coronavirus

According to a statement from Netanyahu's office on Saturday, Netanyahu himself tested negative for the novel disease.

The guards work at the prime minister’s home in West Jerusalem.

Prior to the positive result, the guards were reportedly on duty outside of the residency and had no close contact with Netanyahu.

Israel, which has a population of around nine million, announced its first coronavirus patient on February 21. 

Since then, there have been 300 deaths from the virus and 18,876 infections, according to Israel's health ministry.

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The Israeli response to coronavirus has been criticised for not allowing its Palestinian citizens equal provisions in testing and treatment - especially during the response's early stages.

Mid-March, the government had controversially approved Shin Bet's use of surveillance as an emergency measure as mounting numbers of Israelis tested positive.

The specifics were kept secret, but security officials said the agency tracked the movements of virus carriers through their phones.

Netanyahu defended his decision to bypass parliament at the time, arguing lives could be lost while lawmakers debated legislation.

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