Israel's coronavirus infection rate stands at 8.43%, according to Health Ministry data published Friday. Of the 140,967 people who tested for the virus Thursday, 11,210 were found to have COVID-19.
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Israel has 91,936 active cases of the virus. There are 667 Israelis in serious condition, 143 of whom are on ventilators.
Although 1,002,182 people have recovered from the virus since the start of the pandemic, 7,122 have died.
On the inoculation front, over 6,005,150 Israelis have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. Over 5,501,924 have received two doses, and over 2,493,222 Israelis have received three.
Israelis will no longer need to quarantine for one week upon returning to the country from overseas under new Health Ministry guidelines that took effect Friday. According to the guidelines, individuals inoculated with three doses of the coronavirus vaccine, as well those who received their second dose within the last six months, will need to quarantine for 24 hours or until they receive a negative test result, whichever comes first.
While the Health Ministry has yet to publish official guidelines for the upcoming High Holidays, Health Ministry Director-General Nachman Ash has recommended Israelis downsize their gatherings and ask all those attending to take a rapid coronavirus test in advance. Ash further recommended guests keep their distance from one another and celebrate in the open air – in yards, parks, or on balconies – when possible.
Noting these were not government-mandated steps, Ash told Israel Hayom he nevertheless recommended families adopt a "green family pass" for such an occasion. "Anyone who hasn't yet been vaccinated, get vaccinated today," he said.
As for prayer services, Ash said, "It's better to hold prayers outdoors and not in synagogues. We worked with local authorities to allow this."
The ministry has engaged in outreach efforts with the Haredi community to advocate outdoor prayers.
Israeli Medical Association Chairman and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev School of Public Health Director Professor Nadav Davidovitch expressed concern over the spread of the virus ahead of the holidays.
"Morbidity levels in Israel remain high. We face a significant challenge …. ahead of the holiday period, the prayers, and communal meals. We must all think and speak to family and friends about how we plan to celebrate and how we can better conduct ourselves at holiday meals, including [in] a ventilated place and [by] limiting the number of participants," he said.
"We can't leave things up in the air," Davidovitch said. "The state must issue guidelines, but we already know what it's like to live with the coronavirus and can behave responsibility by adapting to the complex situation at hand."
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