A full Israeli lockdown is serious prospect as covid-19 figures stay high
The last coronavirus cabinet meeting on Thursday decided to seriously consider a full two-week lockdown in the absence of a dip in rising infection rates during the coming week.
The coronavirus director Prof. Ronni Gamzu proposed local restrictions for “red areas” and closing shopping malls. PM Binyamin Netanyahu was skeptical of any measures short of a strict lockdown, even though this would delay the reopening of the school year on Sept. 1.
Another 1,614 cases on Friday’s raised the infection figure to 90,283 and those actively infected to 24,425, while 11 deaths overnight expanded the total to 651 since February. At the same time, the number of seriously ill was stable at 372 and there was no increase in the number of patients on ventilators which remained steady at 110.