For the third time in less than a week, the Ministry of Health issued a warning against swimming in public waters that normally welcome tourists and locals.
The warning comes in a week that is considered by many business owners to be the official start of the high season for tourism. Many hotels are already beginning to fill up, well ahead of the traditionally heavy-traffic Passover holiday.
On Wednesday the ministry told swimmers not to enter the Tzion Beach in Eilat, warning that the Red Sea waters were polluted. Just one day earlier, the ministry issued a similar warning to people in the Ein Bokek region at the southern end of the Dead Sea.
The ministry issued a quiet advisory warning against entering the spring-fed waters of the nature reserve located across the road from the Dead Sea, because the water was contaminated.
According to a local hotel worker, a general warning was not publicized and employees or hotel guests were not informed about the advisory. It is possible that individual tour guides were informed by the ministry, she added.
Beaches along the Dead Sea, however, were all open yesterday as usual, the worker confirmed, asking not to be identified because she was not authorized to speak to the media. Tourists flock to the Dead Sea from all over the world to bathe in its water for its healing properties, particularly for people who suffer from skin diseases and rheumatic and arthritic conditions.
On Monday, the ministry warned also residents not to enter the Mediterranean waters in Tel Aviv and Herzliya, which it said were contaminated.
It was not made clear when the pollution problem would be resolved or when the beaches would reopen.