Israel's coronavirus infection rate stood at 2.5% as of Sunday, according to new data released by the Health Ministry, Monday morning. Of the 39,873 people to be tested on Sunday, 985 were found to be carrying the virus.
There are currently 9,897 people with the virus in Israel, of them, 263 of them in serious condition. Among those in serious condition, 114 are on ventilators. So far, 2,864 people have died.
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In an interview with Army Radio, Sunday, Health Ministry chief Hezi Levy called the data "worrying."
"There is an increase in the reproduction rate, which is 1.16. There is an increase in the number of verified cases every day although their rate has remained constant." According to Levy, if the reproduction rate continued to climb, the government would need to restore restrictions put in place in an effort to curtail the spread of the virus.
Levy appeared to support the decision to allow students, including high-schoolers, to return to in-person learning, saying, "The government made an ethical decision, and there is great importance in sending students to school, including in the higher grades."
However, Levy said he was worried about the opening of the economy, which he said was "too fast for my liking. It can endanger us even when everyone understands the significance – financial, social, and psychological - of shutting down the economy."
"We'll have to think about it," he said. "There are some tools for dealing with morbidity, that don't necessarily include a lockdown," he said. "There are various restrictions," he said, noting that "an eight-week lockdown would be very difficult for the economy and people. We need to do everything we can to limit gatherings and the increase in morbidity. It wouldn't be a cliché to say that a lot depends on us and our behavior."
Levy cited the crowds of people who packed shopping malls when they opened on Friday and the lack of adherence to guidelines on gathering and mask-wearing as issues that would see Israel return to lockdown, something Levy insisted the government was not interested in.
The Health Ministry chief called the month of December a "veritable minefield" due to expected Hanukkah and New Year's celebrations.
"That's now on the table for discussion – if we would be correct to restrict [gatherings] and if we need to make it so that Hanukkah is celebrated only as individual families and not as mass celebrations."
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