Israel’s “red cities” are mentioned every day in the daily briefings by the Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center but which are Israel’s “green cities?”

According to a Ynet report, an analysis of the Health Ministry’s data published last week revealed a list of the cities with the lowest rate of coronavirus infections in the past week, far lower than the national average. The data reflects that in most cases these cities’ low infection rates are not just an improvement seen in the last week but a positive trend seen from the beginning of the outbreak.

The green cities on the list with sizeable populations are Hertziliya, Givatayim, Afula, Haifa, Kfar Saba, Tel Aviv, Petach Tikvah, Rishon L’Tzion, Be’er Sheva, Ramat Gan, Ashkelon, Bat Yam, Hadera, Modiin-Maccabim-Reut, and Hod HaSharon.

At the beginning of the second wave of the coronavirus, Tel Aviv was actually considered an epicenter of the coronavirus due to an outbreak in Yafo but the infection rate has decreased since then.

Quite a few variables affect the morbidity of the virus in a particular locality. The density of the locality and the average number of people in each apartment are most likely the two most important factors that influence the infection rate. The average age of the city’s residents is also a factor – the lower the average age, the higher the infection rate.

The nature of the locality is obviously a factor that influences the above factors, such as in Chareidi communities where the density of the population and the number of residents in each apartment is above average, the infection rate is also above average.

The list of red cities is topped by Modiin Illit, which is on the verge of being placed into lockdown, followed by Beitar Illit, Elad, Bnei Brak, Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Natzeret, Ramle, Ashdod and Umm al-Fahm.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)