New coronavirus cases rise again to 113

The number of new coronavirus cases jumped on Saturday morning by 113 to 16,987, with 1,927 cases active, 39 serious and 37 on ventilators. Another patient died overnight raising the death toll to 284. The number of schools affected has reached 34. This has prompted the Health Ministry to advise a nationwide shutdown of high school and intermediate classes, which have been established as the primary source of the new infection. Some ministers and local authorities insist on limiting closures to the schools directly affected and allowing the majority to operate normally. A decision is expected on Saturday afternoon after which a public announcement will be broadcast. Meanwhile, Magen David is reopening “drive through” covid-19 testing stations in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to be followed by Beersheba and Haifa.