The Chinese embassy in Israel on Tuesday urged local Chinese workers to stay alert and beef up protection after a COVID-19 outbreak was reported in a neighborhood filled with Chinese construction workers in the city of Petah Tikva.

About 90 Chinese workers tested positive for coronavirus in the neighborhood, the Chinese embassy said in a statement, with either asymptomatic or mild symptoms.

These positive cases have been quarantined or hospitalized, and local government has closed off the affected neighborhood.

The embassy asked local Chinese workers to obey epidemic control restrictions and seek help at the embassy if needed.

Israel has reported 95,264 positive COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally, with 698 deaths.

(Cover: Shoppers wearing face masks at the Shuk HaCarmel, or the Carmel market, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv, May 7, 2020. /AFP)