Covid infection tops 2,800 for second day. Tough restrictions due

The high level of coronavirus infection continues – 2,862 on Tuesdays followed by 2,802 on Wednesday, with 3,5pc positive tests on both days. The number of serious cases rose from 378 to 400 of whom 150 are on ventilators – up from 98 on Tuesday. A coronavirus cabinet meeting is scheduled for next Sunday on the issue, although the last session determined that stringent regulations would come into force if the new infection rate topped 2,500. The strict measures would include the shutdown of street shops, malls and markets and the closure of schools in “red districts” – but not the rest of the country. Following the daily spectacle of crowds jostling at Ben Gurion airport, the Health Ministry urges declaring all foreign countries “red” for obliging all returning travelers to go into 10-day quarantine and stemming the import of the virus from abroad.