Israel

Nearly Half of New Coronavirus Cases Among Israeli Arabs; Under 10% Are Chareidi

Friday, November 20, 2020 5:06 am | < 1 Minute Read

By Aryeh Stern

Health-care doctors and medics take test samples of people to check if they have been infected with the coronavirus at a health center in Sheikh Jarrah, Yerushalayim. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Nearly half of the new coronavirus cases detected in the past week have come from the Arab sector, the National Security Council said on Thursday, indicating a 6.5% positivity rate.

Only 9.5% of cases were found in the chareidi communities and 44.5% were found in the general population.

Nazareth, the largest Arab city in Israel was classified as a red zone because of increased morbidity.

On Friday, the Coronavirus Cabinet is set to discuss imposing a lockdown on the city in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Other Israeli Arab communities were also locked down due to the increased spread of the virus among residents.

Health Ministry Director General Prof. Chezy Levi said there was a rise in cases detected. “Though the increase is slow,” Levy said, “It is still a rise as indicated by the R factor that shows the scope of community spread, exceeding 1.