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| The choreographing of diplomacy in a time of coronavirus | The choreographing of diplomacy in a time of coronavirus |
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| Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boarded a plane for Israel on Tuesday without a face mask, one of the few details of his fourth trip to Jerusalem that was not unusual for the globe-trotting diplomat who has been wanting to get back on the road. | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boarded a plane for Israel on Tuesday without a face mask, one of the few details of his fourth trip to Jerusalem that was not unusual for the globe-trotting diplomat who has been wanting to get back on the road. |
| Every other aspect of the trip has been “carefully choreographed” with safety in mind, as a senior State Department medical official put it, to accommodate Pompeo’s desire for more face-to-face diplomacy in the age of coronavirus. | Every other aspect of the trip has been “carefully choreographed” with safety in mind, as a senior State Department medical official put it, to accommodate Pompeo’s desire for more face-to-face diplomacy in the age of coronavirus. |
| Pompeo is the most senior U.S. official who has traveled abroad since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic March 11. When he visited Afghanistan two weeks later, his only other overseas trip since then, masks were available to travelers who developed a cough or felt ill, but their use was optional. | Pompeo is the most senior U.S. official who has traveled abroad since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic March 11. When he visited Afghanistan two weeks later, his only other overseas trip since then, masks were available to travelers who developed a cough or felt ill, but their use was optional. |
| The atmosphere was dramatically different Tuesday. Everyone else appeared to be donning masks for the flight’s duration. All had been tested for covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, a day or two earlier. Before entering the VIP lounge at Andrews Air Force Base, they had to fill out forms describing their recent medical history and have their temperatures taken in a screening conducted by Pompeo’s physician, who traveled with them. | |
| As Pompeo walked down the aisle on the plane, he told a reporter that he was feeling okay. It was not immediately clear whether he would put on a mask during the flight. | As Pompeo walked down the aisle on the plane, he told a reporter that he was feeling okay. It was not immediately clear whether he would put on a mask during the flight. |
| According to State Department officials, Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who unlike Pompeo has worn a mask in public in appearances at the Knesset — and opposition leader Benny Gantz, who is about to form a coalition with Netanyahu. Pompeo’s agenda includes two of the handful of topics he spends most of his time talking about these days: what he calls Iran’s malign activities in the region, and ways to curb the coronavirus pandemic. | According to State Department officials, Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who unlike Pompeo has worn a mask in public in appearances at the Knesset — and opposition leader Benny Gantz, who is about to form a coalition with Netanyahu. Pompeo’s agenda includes two of the handful of topics he spends most of his time talking about these days: what he calls Iran’s malign activities in the region, and ways to curb the coronavirus pandemic. |
| Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. | Sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter to track the outbreak. All stories linked in the newsletter are free to access. |
| Israel is considering a unilateral annexation of large parts of the West Bank. In pre-pandemic times, this expected move would be the top item up for discussion. But the reason for the trip is in question. | Israel is considering a unilateral annexation of large parts of the West Bank. In pre-pandemic times, this expected move would be the top item up for discussion. But the reason for the trip is in question. |
| “Well, first, the secretary is traveling at the invitation of the Israeli government, and Israel is actually I think doing very well at containing the virus,” David Schenker, the assistant secretary for near-eastern affairs, told reporters when asked to explain the need for an in-person trip now. “The secretary is looking forward to seeing his counterparts and the new Israeli government, the prime minister, face to face.” | “Well, first, the secretary is traveling at the invitation of the Israeli government, and Israel is actually I think doing very well at containing the virus,” David Schenker, the assistant secretary for near-eastern affairs, told reporters when asked to explain the need for an in-person trip now. “The secretary is looking forward to seeing his counterparts and the new Israeli government, the prime minister, face to face.” |
| Israel has taken an aggressive approach to stomping down the virus, and as a result has just 254 confirmed cases of covid-19 in a population of 9 million and is on the downward slope of the curve. Though it is starting to relax its restrictions by allowing children to return to school and shoppers to hit the malls, the Israeli government had to bend a rule or two for Pompeo to come in person. | |
| It maintains a ban on most foreign visitors. The quarantine was waived for Pompeo, who will be on the ground for a few hours Wednesday. | It maintains a ban on most foreign visitors. The quarantine was waived for Pompeo, who will be on the ground for a few hours Wednesday. |
| All other health restrictions are expected to apply to him, though it is unclear whether that includes the mandatory wearing of masks in public. | All other health restrictions are expected to apply to him, though it is unclear whether that includes the mandatory wearing of masks in public. |
| The State Department coordinated a multilayered health security plan with Israeli officials and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem long before his departure. It was designed around “risk mitigation,” according to William Walters, the deputy chief medical officer for operations in the State Department’s Bureau of Medical Services. | The State Department coordinated a multilayered health security plan with Israeli officials and the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem long before his departure. It was designed around “risk mitigation,” according to William Walters, the deputy chief medical officer for operations in the State Department’s Bureau of Medical Services. |
| “No unknown cases or unknown individuals will be allowed inside what we would call a bubble of six feet or more,” he said last week. “The interactions will be obviously brief and professional, and then the secretary will head back to the plane and come back to the United States. | “No unknown cases or unknown individuals will be allowed inside what we would call a bubble of six feet or more,” he said last week. “The interactions will be obviously brief and professional, and then the secretary will head back to the plane and come back to the United States. |
| “This isn’t an individual entering into the general population of the United States or another country. This is a tightly controlled movement in a highly screened environment that we feel is very, very safe,” Walters said. | “This isn’t an individual entering into the general population of the United States or another country. This is a tightly controlled movement in a highly screened environment that we feel is very, very safe,” Walters said. |
| Pompeo, who is monitored for covid-19 daily, has publicly lamented his inability to conduct in-person diplomacy lately, relying instead on video conferences and telephone calls. The State Department is drawing up plans to jump-start embassies and offices around the world. But it will be based on local conditions, so the headquarters in Washington is still expected to rely heavily on teleworking diplomats and civil servants for the near future. | |
| On Monday, the hallways and public spaces in the Harry S. Truman Building were sparse. A placard at the main entrance noted the building’s operation risk level is high. In the normally crowded cafeteria, the tables were blocked off to maintain social distancing. Most employees who came to the office wore masks but not all, suggesting that no mandatory mask policy has been enacted. | On Monday, the hallways and public spaces in the Harry S. Truman Building were sparse. A placard at the main entrance noted the building’s operation risk level is high. In the normally crowded cafeteria, the tables were blocked off to maintain social distancing. Most employees who came to the office wore masks but not all, suggesting that no mandatory mask policy has been enacted. |