"If you were to actually look into my actions and decided to hold a professional debate, you would have discovered that my decisions were not driven by populism but by courage," Netanyahu says in special Knesset session.
Ministry data shows that just 892 new cases were diagnosed over the past 24 hours. With a positivity rate of 3.5%, morbidity at lowest rate since June sparking optimism that Israel has finally gotten the second coronavirus outbreak under control.
“We will not forgo Torah study because of political considerations,” senior official in the Haredi community tells Israel Hayom. Only 395 new COVID cases identified on Saturday, with 2.6% of tests coming back positive.
As Israel prepares to start the exit from its second lockdown, number of new confirmed cases continue to drop. Death toll stands at 2,128.
Daily cases still remain significantly fewer than those being recorded in France, Spain and Britain.
Preschools and certain businesses to resume normal operations; Israelis no longer restricted to own neighborhood.
Number of positive coronavirus test results is the lowest since July, with the daily number of new infections nearing the 2,000 benchmark, Health Ministry says.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Benny Gantz agree to keep current lockdown in place until midnight Sunday. Cities coded "red" to remain under lockdown, but some residents report a lack of cooperation by certain sectors.
Opaganib, the company's experimental cancer drug, is being currently tested in patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.
The Haredi sector makes up 12% of the general population of Israel, and only a small percentage of citizens age 65 and over.
