Israel and the West Bank are dealing with a renewed outbreak of the coronavirus, leading to proposals and measures intended to curb its spread and mitigate the economic ramifications of the crisis by both the Israeli and the Palestinian authorities.
26,257 people in Israel have so far tested positive for the coronavirus; 322 people have died.
In the West Bank, 2,435 people tested positive; 10 people have died. There are currently 12 serious cases, with two on ventilators. In the Gaza Strip, 72 people were diagnosed and one person has died.
■ Coronavirus tracker: Live stats of cases and deaths
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4:30 P.M. Army reservists called-up to fight coronavirus resurgence
Defense Minister Benny Gantz ordered the call-up of 500 army reservists to help at coronavirus hotels housing patients.
In addition, Gantz instructed the army unit responsible for civilian matters in the West Bank to prepare for assisting the Palestinian population. (Yaniv Kubovich)
3:20 P.M. Police to step up enforcement of coronavirus restrictions
The Israel Police said it will carry out a nationwide operation over the weekend to enforce coronavirus regulations.
From Thursday evening until Saturday evening, police will be locating gatherings that exceed the allowed numbers of participants, particularly at event halls, weddings and other celebrations, and will also be enforcing face mask regulations.
The police said they would focus their efforts on “restricted” areas that have seen recent spikes in cases, particularly Lod and Ashdod.
“At event halls and at weddings, these are some of the biggest causes of new infections, and we will direct officers to enforce violations of the regulations and not to act with patience, rather with a heavy hand,” The Israel police said.
According to police, they have handed out an average of about 3000 fines a day for failure to wear a facemask, and last week 7,000 fines were handed out to businesses that violated regulations. (Josh Breiner)
2:15 P.M. Coronavirus cabinet set to reimpose restrictions limiting crowds
Israel’s coronavirus cabinet will meet Thursday to discuss reimposing some restrictions amid a severe spike in cases. The Health Ministry will recommend limiting crowds at banquets, bars and restaurants to only 50 people, as well as reducing the number of people at houses of worship to up to 20 people. (Ido Efrati)
10:40 A.M. Israel’s coronavirus cases rise by 195 to 26,452
The number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen by 195 to 26,452 by Thursday morning. Two more people have died, raising the total death toll to 324. Currently there are 8,647 active cases, of which 58 are in serious condition including 24 on ventilators. (Haaretz)
9:15 A.M. Rishon Lezion closes playgrounds, limits access to public parks
The Rishon Lezion Municipality decided to close playground areas at public parks and increase supervision there, in light of the dramatic spike in coronavirus cases in Israel. (Bar Peleg)
WEDNESDAY
11:18 P.M. Israel announce more ‘restricted zones’
Israeli ministers approve restrictions on neighborhoods in the cities of Ashdod and Lod where relatively many cases of the coronavirus were discovered, declaring them “restricted zones.”
As of Thursday at 8 A.M. movement in and out of these zones will be restricted and business activity limited for a week.
10:50 P.M. Israel confirms record number of new daily cases
People wearing protective masks walk in Jerusalem, June 30, 2020.Credit: Ohad Zwigenberg
1,013 coronavirus cases have been diagnosed on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said, in the highest number of new cases in a day since the outbreak began. The total number of cases in Israel is 26,257, with 8,483 of them considered active.
There are 57 patients in serious condition, with 24 of them on life support. Two more COVID-19 patients died, bringing the total number of deaths to 322. (Haaretz)
9:40 P.M. Knesset passes temporary law allowing digital tracking of coronavirus patients by security service
The Knesset passed temporary legislation allowing for digital tracking of coronavirus patients by the Shin Bet security service after two votes on Wednesday.
The vote, which was to take place Tuesday, was delayed to give the governing coalition additional time to whip up support for the bill, which is aimed at curbing the recent spike in coronavirus cases in Israel. Fifty-three lawmakers voted in favor of the bill, while 38 opposed it. (Jonathan Lis)
A hotel manager wearing a face mask uses a key to unlock an elevator at the Abu Mazen Hotel, which is closed to customers, in Hebron on July 1, 2020.Credit: REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma
9:04 P.M. Cabinet to announce more restricted zones
Within the hour, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene the cabinet to declare new restricted zones as national coronavirus cases continue to rise. (Noa Landau)
8:40 P.M. 50 more cases diagnosed in West Bank
Fifty more cases have been diagnosed in the West Bank, bringing the number of active cases to 2,435. The number of people on ventilators has risen to three. (Jack Khoury)
7:20 P.M. Cases rise by 777 to 26,021
The number of coronavirus cases in the country has risen to by 777 to 26,021. The death toll has risen by one to 321. There are 8,271 active cases, including 25 on venגזירהtilators. (Haaretz)
6:40 P.M. Employment authority: Unemployment at 21%, more people returning to work than filing for unemployment
The country’s employment authority has announced that since lockdown restrictions began to be loosened in late April, it has received 381,364 reports of people returning to work, compared to 133,668 new job seekers. This puts the total number of job seekers to 852,432, of whom 591,797 are on unpaid leave, with the unemployment rate standing at 21 percent. (Sivan Klingbail)
6:35 P.M. Palestinians announce full lockdown throughout West Bank
The Palestinian Authority has announced a lockdown throughout the West Bank that is to begin on Friday and last for five days. (Jack Khoury)
6:25 P.M. Bnei Brak locks down area around yeshiva where dozens of cases found in past two weeks
The city of Bnei Brak has announced that it is locking down an area in the city that contains a yeshiva in which some 47 cases were located in the past two weeks. This includes 20 students who were diagnosed without having been on campus during that period. (Aaron Rabinowitz)
3:37 P.M. Bnei Brak takes new steps to contain the virus
The Bnei Brak municipality approved a series of steps this morning to reduce the rate of coronavirus infection in the city. The city, which was hit particularly hard and placed under a full closure during the first wave of the outbreak, has decided to increase the number of regulations enforcement teams and to establish a system to ensure schools and yeshivas observe the rules, with reinforcements from other cities.
Under this new system, institutions that are found to have broken the rules will be closed immediately. Schools in which confirmed patients were found will also be closed. At the behest of the municipality, the number of hotels and housing solutions for confirmed patients was increased, so that they can leave the city.
Staff of the Palestinian Health Ministry in full hazmat suits transport the body of COVID-19 victim for burial in the West Bank city of Hebron, June 29, 2020.Credit: HAZEM BADER / AFP
Leading the new enforcement system will be three doctors, three municipality representatives, the Israel Police and local police. (Bar Peleg)
1:47 P.M. Israel is paying the price for Netanyahu refusing to appoint a ‘corona czar’ | Analysis
The warnings are piling up. The expert panel advising the National Security Council, the Military Intelligence’s coronavirus information center and the Israeli Society for Infectious Diseases have all warned the government that we will fall into the abyss if our apathetic attitude toward the coronavirus continues.
But the issue isn’t just the rising number of people infected or the delay in setting up an effective system to break the chain of infection. Something bigger is happening here. At the current stage of the battle against the coronavirus, Israel is suffering from a complete absence of leadership. Its leaders have demonstrated not only a lack of direction, but even a lack of concern.
Just a month ago, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel victorious over the coronavirus. He urged people to go out, have fun and visit their grandparents, even boasting that “the entire world” was seeking to learn how to fight the virus from us. But since then, such statements have been replaced by a gloomy, confused tone. Read the full analysis by Amos Harel
1:00 A.M. Palestinians report fourth coronavirus death in a day
A 70-year-old woman from Hebron died Tuesday night after contracting the coronavirus, in what the Palestinian Health Ministry says is the fourth death in a day in the area. Ten people have died in the West Bank so far since the beginning of the pandemic. (Jack Khoury)
TUESDAY
11:00 P.M. Israel sees 803 new cases in a day, highest ever daily increase
According to the latest Health Ministry figures, 803 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed on Tuesday, making it the highest daily increase since the pandemic started. The total number of cases in Israel has gone up to 25,244, among those, 7,583 patients are currently considered actives cases. One more patient died Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to 320.
Of all active cases, 52 are in serious condition, while 24 are on ventilators. (Haaretz)
10:30 P.M. Health Ministry recommends full lockdowns on cities throughout Israel
Israel’s Health Ministry has issued a recommendation to close down dozens of cities in Israel, as the list of towns that have recorded outbreaks keeps growing. The government is unlikely to take the suggestion.
A new report released on Tuesday by the government’s coronavirus information center said that over the last few days, there has been increased incidence of the disease in Nahariya, Ramle, Lod, Dimona, Beit She’an, Baqa al-Gharbiya, Kafr Qasem, Umm al-Fahm, Jaljulya and Tira.
Larger cities, like Bat Yam, Ashdod, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, also have hundreds of active cases, compared to just a few per day in May. (Ido Efrati)
10:20 P.M. Mother of Palestinian who died from COVID-19 in Hebron in turn passes away from the disease
The mother of a Palestinian man who died from the coronavirus on Tuesday has passed away from the disease as well, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The woman who was in her 60s is the tenth Palestinian fatality from the virus (9 in the West Bank, one in Gaza) and the third one in the Hebron area in the last two days. Earlier on Tuesday, the Health Ministry in Ramallah reported the death of a 44-year-old man, the woman’s son. (Jack Khoury)
8:01 P.M. Second Palestinian death around Hebron in 24 hours
A 44-year-old resident of Hebron died on Tuesday from COVID-19, the Palestinian Health Ministry said, the second coronavirus death in that area of the West Bank within 24 hours. According to his family, Mashhur al-Ja’abari’s family suffered from other medical problems and his condition deteriorated rapidly since he caught the virus several days ago. He died at a Bethlehem hospital.
Nine Palestinians with COVID-19 have died since the outbreak began in the West Bank in March, and one died in the Gaza Strip. According to official figures, there are 2,116 active coronavirus cases in the West Bank, with nine of them in serious condition. The Hebron District has about 1,500 active cases, and Bethlehem and the Jerusalem area have also been identified by authorities as hot spots.
Despite a relatively low number of patients in serious condition, the Health Ministry has warned of a severe shortage in ventilators should efforts to curb the spread of the virus, particularly in the Hebron area, fail. Over the weekend, the Palestinian government announced several measures limiting gatherings and movement, in a bid to further contain the outbreak. (Jack Khoury)
7:18 P.M. Education Ministry tells schools to prepare for coronavirus restrictions in the next year, including full closure
As the 2020 school year comes to a close, a letter from the Education Ministry’s director general has become public, asking principals to prepare for three different scenarios in the next school year: Full closure, a mix of distance learning and in-class tuition, and regular curriculum, with specific regulations.
The document asks school administrators to build programs for each eventuality, allowing for more flexibility and responsiveness. Schools will only be expected to teach 70 percent of the current compulsory curriculum. The decision over the number of hours taughts, the separation in tiers, and other techniques used during the coronavirus outbreak would be left to school authorities. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia)
7:00 P.M. Israel registers 469 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, total beyond 25,000
Israel’s Health Ministry said 469 people were diagnosed with the coronavirus since midnight on Tuesday, in another jump in infections that brings the total active cases to 7,403. The number increased by 714 units in the last 24 hours, the ministry said, noting that 19,922 tests were performed on Monday. The death toll from the virus stands at 320 and the overall number of patients since the beginning of the crisis stands at 25,041. Currently, 24 people are being treated with ventilators. (Haaretz)
5:00 P.M. PA says one man died of coronavirus in Hebron
A 44-year-old man has died from the coronavirus in the Palestinian city of Hebron in the West Bank, the Health Ministry in Ramallah said in a statement. His passing brings the total death toll from the coronavirus in the Palestinian Authority areas up to 9. Hebron, where another Palestinian died from the disease on Monday, has recently emerged as a hotspot for the pandemic in the West Bank. (Jack Khoury)
2:40 P.M. EU bans travel from Israel over coronavirus
The European Union published a list barring travelers from several countries, including Israel, from entering member states in light of the severity of their coronavirus outbreaks. Also barred are the United States, Russia, Brazil and China. Only 14 countries were deemed ‘safe,’ including Morocco, Australia, South Korea and Japan.
There are currently 43 people diagnosed with the coronavirus per 100,000 in Israel, a rate that is two times higher than the threshold determined by the EU. The list is meant to be updated every two weeks. (Hadar Kane)
12:10 P.M. After Netanyahu’s intervention, digital tracking bill will go to second and third votes today
Following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s request, the move to delay the Knesset vote on Shin Bet digital tracking measures to next week was cancelled, and a second and third reading on the bill will likely take place today.
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee will draft a new, more fixed law soon to replace the current bill, which if it passes today will be valid for three weeks.
Yesterday, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee backtracked on its plan to promote the temporary bill after opposition lawmakers blocked the initiative. According to sources familiar with the details, the opposition’s initiative was led by Eli Avidar of Yisrael Beiteinu.
After the Knesset approved breaking up the bill to several clauses and voting on each clause separately, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Zvi Hauser backtracked and agreed with representatives from the opposition that a softer version of the bill will be voted on in its entirety on Monday. (Jonathan Lis)
10:59 A.M. Number of cases rises to 24,688
The number of coronavirus diagnoses in Israel has risen to 24,688, Health Ministry data shows, marking a rise of 121 since midnight.
There are currently 7,096 active patients, 46 of whom are in severe condition, and 24 of whom are on ventilators.
One Israeli has died since yesterday, bringing the toll to 320. (Haaretz)
10:38 A.M. Eight daycare centers and kindergartens in central city close after instructor tests positive
Eight kindergartens and daycare centers closed in the central city of Herzliyah after an instructor who had visited them tested positive for the coronavirus.
All the centers’ staff and children have been sent into isolation until the Health Ministry concludes its epidemiological investigation. (Bar Peleg)
8:45 A.M. Health Ministry director general: some ministry activities should fall under Defense Ministry, local authorities’ purview
In an interview with Kan Radio, Health Ministry Director-General Hezi Levi said that he would prefer that parts of the ministry’s activity would fall under Defense Ministry jurisdiction, “and that’s what we’re doing.”
“It’s not just the Defense Ministry, it’s local authorities…As a military man, I’m aware that every organization needs to do what it has a relative advantage in. There’s no doubt that the activities on the ground themselves need to happen together with additional local authorities managing them, and everyone needs to fulfill their responsibility, and we’re busy with that as well.”
MONDAY
10:19 P.M. Opposition blocks digital tracking law, vote delayed
The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has backtracked on its plan to promote a temporary bill allowing digital tracking of coronavirus patients, after opposition lawmakers blocked the initiative.
According to sources familiar with the details, the opposition’s initiative was led by Eli Avidar of Yisrael Beiteinu.
After the Knesset approved breaking up the bill to several clauses and voting on each clause separately, Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Zvi Hauser backtracked and agreed with representatives from the opposition that a softer version of the bill will be voted on in its entirety on Monday. (Jonathan Lis)
9:40 P.M. Justice Ministry cancels April fines levied on restaurants for violating COVID-19 restrictions
Fines levied on restaurants and coffee shops in the period from March 25 through April 25 for violating coronavirus restrictions will be canceled, the Justice Minister said on Monday.
“Due to legal doubt that arose whether the prohibition to open restaurants and coffee shops is a criminal prohibition,“ the fines are canceled, the Justice Ministry said. (Bar Peleg)
9:26 P.M. Israel extends aid for seniors through mid-August
The Knesset approved a bill Monday extending financial benefits for seniors above the age of 67 who were furloughed due to the coronavirus crisis. Seniors put on unpaid leave were alotted 4000 shekels a month, for March, April and May.
The bill extends the benefits through mid-August, after which the matter will be reexamined. (Jonathan Lis)
8:40 P.M. Universities to hold frontal exams this week, move to remote exams next week
Following pushback from universities, Higher Education Minister Zeev Elkin said he had granted the request of universities and colleges to administer final exams on campus as planned this week. From Sunday onwards, all exams will be held remotely.
Elkin said that the directive ordering universities to have students take their final exams from home would only go into effect over the weekend. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia)
7:59 P.M. Netanyahu announces 2-billion-shekel package for small, medium-sized businesses hit by coronavirus
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that he and Finance Minister Israel Katz were earmarking an additional 2 billion shekels (about $580 million) to small and medium-sized businesses to help offset the economic damage caused by the coronavirus.
“I understand your pain, I hear your cries,” Netanyahu said. The 2 billion shekels is in addition to the 100 billion shekels already budgeted to aid those harmed by the economic shutdown during the crisis, most of which has yet to be distributed. (Noa Landau)
7:49 P.M. Over 400,000 back at work since lockdown’s end, but even more still getting jobless benefits
Some 401,000 Israelis have returned to their jobs since the end of the coronavirus lockdown, the National Insurance Institute reported on Monday. But more than 673,000 are still getting unemployment benefits.
Meanwhile, the Employment Service said that as of Monday 861,861 people were still registered with it, equal to 21.2% of the labor force. Of those, more than 70% were on unpaid leave and had not been laid off from their jobs.
The NII said that since the start of the coronavirus crisis, it had received 1.075 million applications for unemployment benefits. Of those 73,000, or 6.7%, were rejected because they didn’t meet eligibility requirements. Even as the lockdown in Israel began to ease after April 19, about 130,000 unemployment applications were filed. The figure doesn’t count people above the legal retirement age, who don’t qualify for jobless benefits ordinarily but due to the coronavirus have been receiving special grants.
The figures come a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yisrael Katz said the government would extend unemployment benefits until mid-August. The decision was made after estimates that benefits for some 262,000 Israelis were due to expire at the end of June.
On the other hand, applications for income support, which had grown during March and April, declined in May and June, the NII said. In March, at the start of the coronavirus crisis, 9,418 applications for income support had been filed. The number grew to 11,290 in April, but in May it fell to 6,385 and in June, up until the 24th of the month, it had reached 5,497. (Sivan Klingbail and Avi Waksman)
7:28 P.M. Israel confirms 521 new COVID-19 cases, bringing total to 24,276
The total number of coronavirus cases in Israel has risen to 24,276, the Health Ministry reported – an increase of 521 cases since Sunday evening. The death toll sits at 319. Israel currently has 6,768 active cases, with 24 patients on ventilators.
The ministry added that 10,364 coronavirus tests were conducted on Sunday. (Haaretz)
7:02 P.M. Chaos prevails in Israeli academia as criteria for online final exams remains unclear
Final exams for college students, which were supposed to start this week, have been thrown into chaos after the government’s coronavirus cabinet decided on Monday that most exams should be administered at home rather than on campus.
While the decision did allow some exams to be exempted from the at-home rule, it has not yet set criteria for which exams qualify. The Council for Higher Education and the Health Ministry are supposed to set these criteria at some point in the future.
Adding to the confusion is that the decision will take effect only after Health Ministry Director General Hezi Levy signs the necessary regulations, and it’s not clear when he will do so. Until then, schools can hold finals on campus as planned, but they have no way of knowing how long that will be possible.
Ben-Gurion University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv University all said they will not administer online exams before Levi signs the directive. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia)
3:40 P.M. As cases rise, government decides to tighten restrictions
Israel’s coronavirus cabinet has decided to limit public gatherings amid fears of a second wave:
Up to 250 people will be allowed at concert halls and event venues, and up to 50 people will be allowed to attend circumcision ceremonies and funerals.
Starting July 10, weddings held indoors will be allowed to host 50 percent of the venue’s capacity, capped at 100 participants, with a maximum number of 250 attendees at outdoor venues. On July 31, the maximum number of attendees for indoor venues will be increased to 250.
University students will take exams online, while 30 percent of the workforce in the public sector will work from home. (Noa Landau)
2:00 P.M. Israel begins random antibody testing survey to determine scope of infection
After a delay of several weeks, and against the backdrop of expert criticism, random nationwide coronavirus antibody testing started on Monday in 191 communities in Israel, including 13 virus hot spots, as the government attempts to get a full picture of the outbreak.
Unlike swab tests, which are designed to diagnose patients currently infected, antibody testing should be able to show how far the virus has spread within the general population, whether or not those that have contracted it have developed symptoms.
The program will last several days, during which 75,000 tests will be carried out at health maintenance organization community clinics around the country. Designed by the Health Ministry, it is meant to be random in order to obtain a representative sample based on geographic location, size, socio-economic status and ethnic or religious background. (Ido Efrati)
>> Read the full report here
11:57 A.M. Coronavirus cases in Israel continue to rise
Coronavirus cases have risen to 23,989, according to the Health Ministry, while the number of deaths rose by one to 319. The number of active cases is currently 6,556, with 46 of those in serious condition. (Haaretz)
11:22 A.M. University leaders appeal to Health Ministry to let exams go ahead
University leaders sent a letter to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, asking him to allow university exams to proceed as usual.
Due to the increase in cases, a meeting is due to take place today to dicuss cancelling them unless they can take place at home.
The letter argued that, given workplaces and recreational facilities are open, it would be logical for the government to allow exams to go ahead. They added that cancelling the exams would be harmful to students. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia)
9:46 A.M. Almost 100 new virus cases discovered in the West Bank
Ninety-seven new cases of the coronavirus have been detected in the West Bank, including 53 in the Hebron area and 27 in Nablus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. This brings the total number of active cases in the West Bank to 1,701 and total diagnoses since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak to 2,025. (Jack Khoury)
8:17 A.M. West Bank woman dies of coronavirus
A woman in her forties from Hebron died from the coronavirus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Eight people have now died of the virus in the West Bank. (Jack Khoury)
12:20 A.M. Daily new virus cases remain high
299 Israelis have been diagnosed with the coronavirus in the last day, according to data released by the Health Ministry, with 39 of those people in serious condition. The number of people who have died remains at 318. (Haaretz)
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