Israel on Sunday deported the son of American media mogul Shari Redstone for breaking Covid-19 restrictions within 24 hours of arrival to visit his girlfriend.
The billionaire’s son, Brandon Korff, “violated the isolation orders from the moment he entered the country and met his Israeli partner,” according to the Israeli Population and Immigration Authority, staying with her in the same apartment.
The ViacomCBS chairwoman’s son was ordered to leave the country immediately.
Korff, who is 35, directs US mass media company National Amusements, of which his mother is the president. He is known to be dating Israeli model and actress Yael Shelbia, who is 18 and now serving in the Israeli military.
Israel in mid-March banned the entry of non-Israelis and foreign nationals lacking residency, unless they could prove their lives were based in Israel, to contain a Covid-19 outbreak.
The Population and Immigration Authority explained that Korff was granted exceptional permission to visit his brother, who is also serving in the Israeli military.
The swift expelling of Korff comes days after the Israeli Ministry of Health came under fire for allowing another VIP, Cypriot-Israeli billionaire Teddy Sagi, to break normal isolation rules and attend a party after arriving by private jet.
The public scrutiny underlines the seriousness of the coronavirus outbreak in Israel, which has killed just over 300 people and infected nearly 20,000.