How Eran Zahavi's Photo Became a Symbol of Hope Amidst China's COVID-19 Crisis

This photo was taken by soccer player Eran Zahavi six months ago during a campaign in China—his home for the past year.

As many know, Zahavi played in the Chinese soccer league, living there with his wife and three children until about a month ago. "Shavua Tov," he wrote about a week ago when he posted this photo on social media, adding, "This photo was shot during a Mania Jeans campaign six months ago in China. Who could have predicted it would gain such significance six months later? Now's the time to support China and pray that this ends quickly so everyone can return to normal life."

Due to the coronavirus outbreak originating in China and spreading rapidly, Zahavi had to leave all his belongings behind and fly straight home to Israel about a week ago.

In an interview with 'The Savings Plan' on Channel 12, his wife Shai explained that due to panic among parents, they were also forced to take their children out of school to prevent them from catching the virus.

She mentioned that upon their arrival in Israel, the Health Ministry instructed anyone who had been in China in the past two weeks to enter quarantine immediately. "I called the Health Ministry right away to ensure I was doing everything necessary to keep us and others safe."

Even though the Health Ministry said it wasn't necessary, she also took her daughters out of daycare in Israel. "I decided to do it because I truly understand the parents' anxiety. They suggested we do blood tests and were afraid, believing it was unsafe to send their kids to school or daycare. The situation is very tough on the kids, too."

When asked if there's a real reason to be afraid, Shai denied there was, saying "It’s not just us dealing with this; every Israeli who had to leave their homes, businesses, schools, work... has come back to the safest place, their home in Israel."