Five people died overnight and within the early hours of Monday morning, bringing the country’s death toll to 110. In addition, the Health Ministry reported 11,235 people with the virus – 181 in serious condition, including 133 on ventilators. A total of 7,680 tests were carried out between Sunday and Monday morning, the Health Ministry said, up from less than 6,000 a few days before. The ministry said it is targeting 10,000 daily tests during the Passover holiday.
He said that although there could be unexpected results from the outbreak in Bnei Brak and some other ultra-Orthodox (haredi) communities, which would only be seen in the next few days, “It can be said that we’re in a relatively stable situation, and we’re in the stopping phase. Now, we need to see how we get out of this.” The key coronavirus battlegrounds nationwide continue to be Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, with a total of 2,093 and 1,888 cases respectively. Fueling fears regarding the continued spread of the virus within haredi neighborhoods, the worst-hit locations on a per capita basis are Bnei Brak (967 cases per 100,000 people), Kiryat Ye’arim (683), Kfar Chabad (654) and Kochav Ya’acov (651).
Over the course of this week, the Health, Finance and Education ministries are discussing an “exit strategy,” to help save Israel’s economy. More than 1 million people are out of work and the unemployment rate is nearing 26%, up from 4% before the coronavirus crisis.
Amid speculation regarding the possible return of children to school following the Passover break, scheduled to finish on April 19, Education Ministry Director-General Shmuel Abuav said there is no “currently no decision” to return to in-class learning. “Ninety-seven per cent of the world’s children are at home, and not in class,” Abuav told Army Radio. “No countries have decided to return to full-time learning.” Abuav said he expects to reach an agreement with the Teachers Union of Israel and return to online remote learning after the Passover break. The summer vacation will need to be shortened to catch up with missed content, he added, without committing to a particular schedule.
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