Focus Taiwan
Date: 03/02/2020
By: Chen Wei-ting and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, March 2 (CNA) A member of a Taiwanese tour group traveling to Israel that flew on the same plane as an Israeli citizen infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been hospitalized with a respiratory illness after returning to Taiwan on Monday.

The 11-member tour group flew from Taipei to Istanbul on Feb. 27 and then from Istanbul to Tel Aviv on Turkish Airlines flight TK784 early on the morning of Feb. 28.

The Israeli passenger also took flight TK784 on his return to Israel from Japan, after having presumably recovered from his novel coronavirus infection developed on the ill-fated Diamond Princess cruise ship.

He was diagnosed with COVID-19 soon after arriving home, however, and all other people who had been on TK784 were required to leave Israel immediately as a precaution against the further spread of the epidemic, according to a statement issued by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).    [FULL  STORY]