In a disconcerting rise in the number of coronavirus cases, an additional 2,183 people contracted the virus on Tuesday, the Health Ministry said. It was the second consecutive day that over 2,000 people were diagnosed with the virus, after 2,159 new cases were confirmed on Monday.
On Tuesday, 27,920 tests were administered, with the percentage of positive results standing at 8.1%, higher than the previous day's 7.2%.
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There are currently 22,002 infected people in Israel, 423 of whom are in serious condition, 864 are hospitalized and 114 are on ventilators. Since the onset of the outbreak months ago, 119,627 people in Israel have contracted the virus.
Thus far, 963 people in Israel have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
High outbreak cities and communities designated "red" by the Health Ministry are Daliyat al-Carmel, Tira, Ein Mahil, Emmanuel, Kafr Qasim, Laqiyya, Umm al-Fahm, Maaleh Iron, Kisraa-Samia, Furedeis, Tifrach, Kaabiyye-Tabbash-Hajajre, Buka'ata, Yad Binyamin, Tiberias, Isfiya, Beit Jann, I'billin, Kafr Bara, Jaljulia, Beitar Ilit, Kfar Aza, Rekhasim, Zemer, Kafr Kanna, Jatt, Al-Batuf, Ka'abiyye-Tabbash-Hajajre, Jadeidi-Makr.
The cities designated "red" by the Health Ministry based on its "traffic light" system – which classifies cities, towns, and local authorities as red, orange, yellow, or green depending on their COVID numbers – will be placed under numerous restrictions.
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein is expected to support the demand put forth by Professor Ronni Gamzu, the coordinator of Israel's national efforts to stop the spread of the virus, to impose immediate lockdown measures on "red" cities and communities with particularly high rates of infection. It's also likely that Edelstein will support Gamzu's recommendation to shut down schools in these places.
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