Nearly three weeks into Israel's second lockdown, the drastic restrictions imposed by the government are finally yielding results. 4,117 new cases were diagnosed yesterday, the Ministry of Health reports, down from 4,688 new cases on Tuesday and a record 9,015 new cases on Wednesday of last week. Significantly the number of tests that proved positive yesterday fell to 9%, the lowest percentage since September 19.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 282,872 cases of Covid-19 in Israel, of which 61,049 are currently active cases. The number of seriously ill patients in Israel's hospitals has fallen to 847, down from a peak of 900 on Sunday. 236 patients are on ventilators. The number of fatalities since the start of the pandemic in Israel has risen to 1,824 including 253 fatalities since the start of October. The September figure of 599 fatalities looks almost certain to be surpassed this month.
With the lockdown due to end on Tuesday, it is unclear whether it will be extended. Minister of Finance Israel Katz and many other ministers are eager for private sector businesses that do not receive the public to be allowed to reopen.
Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri who has previously opposed local lockdowns as discriminatory against the haredi population has conceded that local lockdowns rather than a national lockdown may now be necessary.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 8, 2020
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