Coronavirus Outbreak

According to the Israel Democracy Institute, 54% of Israelis say the pandemic caused them to change their daily routine, but most prefer to stay at their current job.

Several other countries already shortened the mandatory quarantine period, including the United States and Britain. Israel is currently seeing an unprecedented wave of infections driven by the Omicron variant.

As Assuta Ashdod Medical Center diverts ambulances and Beilinson Medical Center is opening additional COVID unit in parking structure, Professor Idit Matot of Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv says Omicron policies have "brought the country to the brink of collapse."

Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, and Housing Minister Ze'ev Elkin test positive for the coronavirus, as do Likud MK David Amsalem, Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz, and Professor Ran Balicer of the Health Ministry's pandemic response team.

The mutation, known as BA.2, is first identified in China several weeks ago and is believed to have originated in India. Over 40,000 Israelis test positive for the coronavirus, among them National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata.

"If there is a lockdown, it will be like the first one, where people would not be allowed to go more than 100 m (330 ft) from their home,” Salman Zarka says at a press briefing.  

Concerns over quality of healthcare rise as 5,657 medical workers self-isolate. One in three Israelis offered Pfizer's COVID pill decline taking the drug.

Christopher Key of the Vaccine Police group, who has called for pharmacists who administer vaccines to be executed, tells followers that anyone who contracts COVID can cure it by drinking their own urine.

"Higher asymptomatic carriage rate is likely a major factor in the rapid and widespread dissemination of the variant, even among populations with high prior rates of coronavirus infection," the researchers said in a statement.