Israel’s coronavirus races past 1,000 cases, severe cases inch up

The opposition slams Bennett government for a month’s delay in stamping hard on the highly contagious covid delta strain when it first appeared in Israel a month ago. Since then, confirmed cases have raced past the thousand mark from near zero and the positive rate to 1.6pc out of 71,500 tests. Severe cases in hospitals are still relatively low, but Sunday morning saw the number rise by eight to 58. Opposition lawmaker Yuval Steinetz urged tough measures without delay along with a major push to get upward of a million vaccine abstainers vaccinated.

An emergency session of the coronavirus cabinet Saturday night decided to restore the Green Permit for admission to public places and social functions, launch a pilot scheme for home tests and start tightening restrictions for arrivals and departures at Ben Gurion airport. The ministers will also review the situation regarding the opening of the next school year on Sept. 1 and the New Year festivals starting a week later.