The coronavirus death toll climbed to 51 on Monday morning, as confirmed cases of the virus increased to 8,611, including 141 patients in severe condition. Critically, 107 patients currently require a ventilator – an increase of less than 1% during the past 24 hours. A total of 585 people have recovered from the illness to date. The first of 11 El Al planes carrying medical supplies from China landed at Ben-Gurion Airport early Monday morning, bringing medical supplies including ventilators, masks, protective suits for medical teams and other items. The purchase and delivery was coordinated by El Al, the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and Israel Chemicals. A second flight is currently en route to Israel and a third is making its way to China. As cases continue to rise, the government reached several new decisions regarding the coronavirus pandemic, including increased lockdown measures in several cities and a legislative measure to fund Israel’s financial aid package for businesses and employees. The government is expected to approve closures and tightening of traffic restrictions on a group of Israeli cities that have a high rate of coronavirus on Monday. It is expected that the quarantines imposed on these cities and neighborhoods will be less stringent than the existing closure on Bnei Brak. The IDF is expected to take a significant part in the management of the cities and their closures. Among the cities under discussion are Elad, Migdal HaEmek, Beitar and Modi’in Illit, Ashkelon, Tiberius and Or Yehuda, as well as several haredi (ultra-Orthodox) neighborhoods of Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh. Haredi towns and cities continue to represent the hotspot of the coronavirus outbreak in Israel, with the highest number of confirmed cases per 100,000 people located in Efrat (656.1), Kiryat Yearim (634.4), Bnei Brak (622.5) and Kfar Habad (585.6). As of Monday morning, the two cities with the greatest number of confirmed cases were Jerusalem (1,316 cases) and Bnei Brak (1,222). Tel Aviv-Jaffa was home to the third most cases, with a far more modest 370 incidences of the disease. The lockdown regulations stipulate that, starting from the declaration of a particular area as restricted, citizens will not be permitted to leave the area unless deemed critical. Permission to leave the area is subject to approval by local officials. The number of people allowed into the “restricted areas” who are not permanent residents will also be limited. Those who wish to do so will need a reference form which will only be given to permanent residents in the area, rescue and security forces, medical teams, critical workers such as welfare employees and social workers, reporters, supplies, critical services, etc. To enable the fulfillment of commitments laid out in the government’s plan and exceed the limits of its rolling monthly budget, ministers also approved amendments to the basic law on the state economy. The amendments will be brought to the Knesset for approval on Monday, where it will require the support of 61 members of Knesset. According to the legislative proposal, approximately NIS 16 billion of additional funding will be available for the National Insurance Institute (Bituach Leumi). A further NIS 40b. will be available to fulfil promises made in the government’s financial aid package.Source
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