Israeli officials warned on Thursday that the country was at risk of "losing control" over a second-wave outbreak of coronavirus, as the over 600 people were diagnosed with the virus in the past 24 hours and hospitals were told to gear up for a flood of new patients.
As of Thursday, 22,400 Israelis were diagnosed with the disease, which has so far killed 311 Israelis. Some 16,007 people have recovered from it.
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"We may have eased restrictions and opened the economy too quickly. The public is not disciplined or wearing masks," Professor Sigal Sadetsky, head of the Health Ministry's Public Health Services, said.
A total of 189 people are hospitalized as a result of coronavirus, 29 of them are in serious condition.
Channel 12 News reported that health experts told officials responsible for the government's coronavirus policy that the country is "on the verge of losing control," and predicted that 1,000 new daily cases would be reported within the next five days.
Sadetsky told Channel 12 News that she supported the renewal of a controversial policy allowing the digital tracking of virus carriers and those exposed to them, which the Israel Security Agency has been tasked with performing, despite reservations expressed by Shin Bet Director Nadav Argaman.
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On Wednesday night, Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the IDF Home Front Command to make arrangements with additional hotels to house quarantined coronavirus patients who could not self-isolate at home. There are already six facilities open for COVID-19 patients.
Also on Wednesday, police ramped up efforts to enforce face-mask regulations, handing out 2,264 fines of 500 shekels ($145) apiece.
The government is reportedly weighing partial closures for several areas afflicted with a rise in coronavirus cases, having already partially locked down two cities on Wednesday.
According to an IDF task force, 14% of new infections are located in five ultra-Orthodox communities, including Bnei Brak, Beitar Illit, and Beit Shemesh.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org
