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“Lockdown Can Only Be Eased If Daily Cases Are Below 1,000,” Health Ministry Official Says

Coronavirus ward at Rambam Hospital in Haifa (Photo: Rambam Hospital)

As Israel prepares to enter its second lockdown on erev Rosh Hashanah, it continues to experience a high rate of daily coronavirus cases, with the Health Ministry confirming 3,182 cases on Monday morning in the previous 24 hours, a rise in the percentage of positive cases – 9.4% of all tests.

There are currently 40,347 active virus cases, with over a thousand patients currently hospitalized, with 529 seriously ill, of whom 135 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 1,126.

Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy hinted on Monday morning that the nationwide lockdown could be extended even longer than three weeks if the number of daily coronavirus cases fail to drop to a low enough number during that time.

Levy, speaking on Reshet Bet, said that the lockdown may be eased when the number of daily coronavirus cases decreases to below 1,000 a day but added that no final decisions have been made yet. Daily coronavirus cases have been surpassing 4,000 in recent days, with the exception of Sunday and Monday, when lower numbers are recorded due to the lower number of tests performed over the weekend.

“We would like to get down to 500 cases a day, but it’s clear that’s not going to happen at this time,” Levy said.

“If we see a reduction to below 1,000 patients, and appropriate behavior [from the public], and a downward trend in infection rate along with a stabilization of the hospital system, those will be positive signs to consider ending the lockdown. We will finalize the criteria in the coming days.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)



3 Responses

  1. “But there’s a more fundamental point that I want to make sure have time to address and that is this idea that somehow has evolved that we must stop cases. That was never the policy, that should never be the policy when you have an infection that 99% of people have no problem with. It’s no big deal if low risk people get the infection….It doesn’t matter that young healthier people get the infection. In fact there’s a positive. Because we know the way to get immunity in the population is to have more people who are lower risk get the infection and become immune. ” Dr. Scott Atlas, MD, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, President Trump’s new Corona adviser

  2. I know it’s already the eleventh hour but I’m wondering if there’s anyway we can still get the local new york authorities to also make a lockdown for rosh hashanah and Yom Kippur. Think of how many people bderech hateva will die as a result of us standing indoors together for hours on rosh hashanah and Yom Kippur. I’m not so savy but someone that knows how to make such a petition, please do it! Think of all the lives you’ll save!

  3. So if the lockdown doesn’t work after 3 weeks they’ll extend indefinitely to continue to do nothing. You would think Biden is the Prime Minister of Israel. The definition of insanity is repeating something multiple times and expecting a different outcome.

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