Netanyahu urges tighter lockdown as covid figs start to improve

PM Binyamin Netanyahu has called a Coronavirus Cabinet session for Monday to discuss more restrictions to shore up the good start the lockdown has made on containing the covid figure spiral. The proportion of positive tests dipped for the third day running from 16pc before the closure to 11pc on Saturday after nearly 25,000 tests were taken. The Ministry of Health says this figure is still too high but if it is the start of a trend. there is room to determine that the lockdown is working. Any talk of easing restrictions at this point would therefore be premature. After the next few days, if the improvement continues, a cautious, calibrated exit will be discussed next week.

On Saturday, 2,642 new covid cases were recorded, raising the actively ill figure to 70,172, among whom 830 were in critical condition and 223 on ventilators. The death toll mounted to 1,682. National figures and the situation in the Arab sector show improvement, while the ultra-Orthodox population is still classified as the worst afflicted in the country.