Restrictions Seem Inevitable With Over 2,800 New Cases for Second Day Running

Tighter restrictions on public life again seemed inevitable Thursday, as the Health Ministry reported that 2,891 people tested positive for the coronavirus, surpassing the threshold number the government set as the criteria for imposing another period of restraints.

The Health Ministry said on Wednesday they conducted over 80,000 coronavirus tests, 2,802 of which returned positive, putting the contagion rate at 3.5%.

There are currently 400 patients hospitalized in serious condition, 150 of whom are on ventilators.

Since the onset of the pandemic in Israel, 3,033 Israelis have died due to complications of coronavirus, with five patients passing away on Wednesday alone.

The coefficient of infection (R) now stands at 1.28 among the general public. The government said last week if the average number of daily cases reaches 2,500 or if the coefficient of infection rises to 1.32, it will enforce the policy of “tight restraint” for at least three weeks. This includes, among other things, closure of the trade sector and the education system in “red” and “orange” municipalities.

The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, which is part of Military Intelligence Directorate, said on Wednesday that if the current trend continues, the country will reach the average of 2,500 daily cases in a week’s time.