Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave instructions on Friday to further tighten restrictions on movement that will reduce the number of people who are able to be outside and help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. “If we do not see a change in the proportion of infections over the next two days, there will be no escape from a full shutdown of the country,” the prime minister said following meetings about the pandemic on Friday. He said that the Finance Ministry is working on a plan for handling a further reduction of the country’s labor force. Netanyahu ordered stepped up enforcement in supermarkets and pharmacies to ensure that the Health Ministry’s directives – no more than 10 people and each person 2 meters apart from the next – are adhered to. Additional restrictions, the prime minister said, should be expected within the next 48 hours. Netanyahu’s proclamation came on the backdrop of an announcement by the Health Ministry that it will increase the number of people it tests for coronavirus to 30,000 per day within the next month. On Friday, some 6,000 tests were taken and that number is expected to increase to 10,000 by next week, a decision that Defense Minister Naftali Bennett called “tremendous news.
“I congratulate the prime minister on the important decision,” Bennett said in a statement. “Locating virus carriers and isolating them is a cornerstone of the campaign against coronavirus. We will immediately locate new patients, send them to isolation and thus cut off the infection chain.” He predicted that by taking so many tests “Israel to exit from the economic stranglehold.”
On Friday, some 3,035 people in Israel were diagnosed with the novel virus and another four Israelis died, bringing the total to 12 dead.
A 73-year-old man from Haifa who suffered from pre-existing conditions died at Rambam Hospital Friday morning. His wife, 71, remains hospitalized at Rambam with coronavirus. The couple had traveled to the Tenerife Spanish island. They checked into Rambam with coronavius on March 9. Overnight, a 93-year-old male who was hospitalized at Soroka Medical Center and suffered from several pre-existing conditions passed away, as did a 76-year-old woman who was being treated at Beilinson Medical Center in Tel Aviv. Some 3,467 medical professionals – 871 doctors and 1,292 nurses – are in isolation. Some 108 medical professionals have been diagnosed with coronavirus. Prof. Itamar Grotto told the Hebrew website Ynet that the situation is not as bad as it could be: “The steps we have taken are starting to pay off. The number of people dead or in critical condition is less than we expected.”
The Finance Ministry, together with the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Amir Yaron, and the economic adviser to the prime minister, Avi Simhon, succeeded in reaching a number of steps to be included in an economic aid package due to coronavirus.
The scope of the package will be about NIS 80 billion, with between NIS 40 and NIS 50 billion being “budgetary” and the rest will include an increase in state guarantees, a postponement of compulsory business payments and a deferral of tax payment. It was also decided to set up another NIS 5 billion fund to help large businesses. This is in addition to the NIS 8 billion fund for small and medium businesses.
The government also approved unemployment benefits for citizens over the age of 67.
The total number of employed people aged 67 and over is estimated to be 135,000 citizens. They will receive up to NIS 4,000 if they were forced to leave work due to the outbreak. “This is a significant and unprecedented step that shows the ongoing assistance of elderly citizens, especially those in the employment sector over retirement age,” Labor Minister Ofir Akunis said.
“We are in a situation where the number of sick is doubling every three days,” said Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov on Thursday. He estimated that within a week, the country will have about 200 severely ill patients.
The majority of Israelis have mild conditions: 2,838. However, 60 are moderate condition. Another 79 Israelis have recovered. On Thursday, three people died from coronavirus in the country: a 91-year-old woman who was hospitalized at Wolfson Medical Center in Holon; an 89-year-old woman had been treated at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem in Jerusalem; and an 83-year-old man who was passed away under the care of Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak. Idan Zonshine contributed to this article.
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