427 cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Israel, the Ministry of Health has announced. This is a significant increase of 90 new cases since the last such announcement 12 hours ago. Of the 427 cases, five Israelis are in a serious condition and 10 are in a moderate condition but there have been no fatalities. An additional 221 patients have been hospitalized, 63 people are in home isolation, and 8 more are in isolation in hotels. 26 more are on their way to hospitals and 83 are awaiting a decision on whether to be hospitalized or isolated elsewhere. 11 patients have made a complete recovery and have been released. RELATED ARTICLES Israel nears lockdown as Health Ministry says stay home Health Ministry to open 6 "drive in" virus test points Banks make sympathetic noises, but raise mortgage rates NEC head: If the crisis costs NIS 50b, that's fine The latest sharp rise in the number of Covid-19 cases comes despite very strict new Ministry of Health Instructions yesterday instructing Israelis to leave home only for essential matters such as shopping or going to work. The Ministry of Health is believed to be concerned about the number of youth and young adults ignoring these instructions. At present the police are not enforcing these instructions but that could soon change if the steep rise in the number of cases continues. However, the police are enforcing previous orders and four people have been arrested for organizing an Ultra-Orthodox wedding in Beit Shemesh, even though public gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed in Israel. Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on March 18, 2020 © Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2020
