Health Official Warns: If There’s 100 New Cases a Day, We’ll Return to Restrictions

Deputy Director General of the Health Ministry Professor Itamar Grotto gave an update on the situation regarding the coronavirus at the special committee hearing in the Knesset on Tuesday, and warned that Israel may be returning to restrictions – many of which were lifted in recent weeks.

“If there are 100 new cases a day unrelated to the same point of outbreak [unlike an outbreak in a school], then we will have to take a step backwards and return to the restrictions.

“If there is only one point of outbreak, we have a plan that will not need to include all citizens.”

Professor Grotto also noted the increase in the tests being carried out, which may also explain the rise in the confirmed cases. “We are seeing a rise in the testing countrywide. On Monday, 7,837 coronavirus tests were carried out. We are capable of doing 14,000 tests a day. Now there are two other laboratories that we reached an agreement with, and we have the capacity to reach up to 40,000 tests a day,” Grotto said.