Health Ministry Official: Second Coronavirus Wave Expected; Coming Weeks ‘Decisive’

Health Ministry deputy director Professor Itamar Grotto said on Sunday morning to Army Radio that Israel should be prepared for a second wave of coronavirus in the summer as additional restrictions were loosened, with more classes in schools reopened across the country.

Grotto said that Israel may be satisfied with the current results of coronavirus guidelines set out by his ministry.

“I truly hope that we do not see additional rises,” he said, referring to the low number of new cases in the last two weeks. “I trust the public. I think that it may be trusted to understand what is demanded.”

He clarified that nevertheless, Israel must be “prepared for the possibility that something will appear in the summer. We are preparing for a number of scenarios, one of which involves staying under similar restrictions until the winter.”

Grotto said that the coming week will prove “decisive” as to whether the government will be able to continue easing restrictions or will be forced to order their return if the number of new cases spike again. Grotto noted that there is an additional option of a wave of coronavirus in the summer.

The daily number of coronavirus cases has steadily declined throughout the past couple of weeks, baruch Hashem, with May 1 being the last time in which over 100 new cases were identified within the same day.