Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the cabinet on Monday to continue discussions about how to handle the coronavirus outbreak that is plaguing the country.
The meeting will come one day after the Knesset coronavirus committee met on Sunday to approve the restrictions recommended by the coronavirus cabinet and the government last week: Event halls, bars, clubs and prayer houses will be limited to 50 attendees. Any other gatherings in closed spaces are now limited to 20 people. The restrictions passed with seven in support and three against and they will go into effect at 8 a.m. on Monday.
At this time, no restrictions are expected to be placed on restaurants, though that could change after the government meets Monday and amid the rising number of cases.
Some 803 people were diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday out of 16,342 tests – a rate of 4.9%, up from 4.5% the days before.
As of Sunday morning, there were 11,189 sick patients in Israel, including 86 who are in serious condition, among them 29 who are intubated.
“We are in the midst of a second wave that is worse than the first,” Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch said Sunday at the committee meeting.
He said that experts expect as many as 300 patients in serious condition within two weeks.
“There are a number of restrictions under consideration,” the deputy minister said, noting that final decisions should be made in the coming day. “If we do not work to reduce the incidents, we will pay a heavy price… If we do not take difficult steps now, we will find ourselves in lockdown.
“We are trying to preserve the economy as much as possible, and stop the crowds in places where it can be ‘super-sticky’ and accelerate the mass infection,” he concluded.
Earlier, Netanyahu addressed the cabinet to discuss how in the following days the government will present a special economic plan “designed to address the financial challenge troubling freelancers, contracted employees and businesses,” as cases continue to rise and businesses are at risk of new restrictions.
“We are in the midst of a very severe outbreak that is spreading across the world,’ the prime minister said. “The World Health Organization marked the Middle East [as a hotspot]… TThis outbreak will be accompanied with a rise in critical patients. We will be forced to take additional measures.”
On Sunday, some 210 yeshiva students in the ultra-Orthodox (haredi) city of Bnei Brak tested positive for coronavirus. The number represents one-third of this yeshiva’s population.
Also, elite IDF commando unit Sayeret Matkal commander, Colonel “Y,” and his deputy entered quarantine after being exposed to a coronavirus carrier, according to Israeli media. Several dozen soldiers serving in the unit’s command post also entered quarantine after a female officer serving in the unit tested positive for coronavirus.
“The operational readiness of the unit was not harmed,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.
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