Grotto: Billionaire Sagi’s exemption for isolation was consistent with policy

Health Ministry deputy director-general Itamar Grotto explained on Friday that he allowed billionaire Teddy Sagi into the country without coronavirus isolation in a manner consistent with the policy for granting exemptions.

He said he did not personally know billionaire Teddy Sagi, the Cypriot-Israeli tycoon, whose entrance into the country without isolation sparked outrage.

Sagi reportedly requested that Grotto let him out of the 14-day isolation period required by the Health Ministry to attend a family event. Grotto granted him permission, and Sagi was later caught on film at a rooftop party, raising questions as to why the special permission was granted.

In an open letter addressed to director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov and disseminated to the media on Friday, Grotto responded to recent media attacks.

“I don’t know Teddy Sagi and I have nothing to do with Teddy Sagi,” Grotto wrote. “Teddy Sagi never contacted me for approval… I got the call from the civil service.” Grotto explained that approvals have been granted specifically for people who want to attend family events and therefore, the decision to allow Sagi into Israel was in line with Health Ministry policies and practice. Later, an email received by Israeli media showed that Grotto had in fact allowed Sagi out of isolation only for the family event: “quarantine until the family event and quarantine until you leave the country,” the email said.

In his letter to Bar Siman Tov, Grotto also stressed that Sagi arrived on a private plane from Cyprus, without fear of exposure to others. Cyprus is a green state, meaning it has an exceptionally low infection rate. Sagi had also reported that he had previously been infected with coronavirus and recovered.

Grotto said that Sagi also took a serological (antibody) test in Israel and was found to be immune to corona, which verified his previous claim that he had been infected and recovered. He likewise retook a PCR test before leaving back to Cyprus, which also came out negative.

“It can be said unequivocally that he was at no risk of infecting others,” Grotto continued, stating that he approved the exception for Sagi “in a manner consistent with the organization’s policy.”

“I have received hundreds of inquiries regarding various reliefs, including in the area of exemptions from isolation. I hope and believe that in most cases I have decided correctly, and I am surely sorry for any case where this was not the case,” Grotto wrote.

Grotto requested that his letter, which was copied to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, be shared with the media “to reduce, even if slightly, the damage done to me.” Following the report on N12, Edelstein summoned Grotto for a disciplinary hearing, vowing to “examine the issue with all disciplinary measures at his disposal.”

However, after investigation, it does not appear that Grotto will be fired.