Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stated on Tuesday afternoon that in light of the increasing rise of coronavirus cases, he held a meeting on Tuesday with the health minister, the internal security minister and the head of the National Security Council.

“We will announce later today on restricted areas where there is a high morbidity rate,” Netanyahu said. “If the rate of infection continues [to rise] we will expedite the use of digital means [for tracking coronavirus carriers] for government approval by Sunday.”

There will be a government meeting on Tuesday evening to decide which cities will be declared as restricted zones. Reports say the cities of Elad, Bat Yam and Kiryat Sanz in Tiveria are of particular concern.

Other cities with high rates of infection are Beitar Illit, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and the Chareidi neighborhoods of Netanya, Tzfat and Ashdod.

Following a tour of Sheba Hospital on Tuesday, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein spoke to reporters from the new underground coronavirus ward in the hospital. Edelstein said that although some areas may be declared as restricted zones, the government is not considering imposing another total lockdown at this stage.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)