The high-level coronavirus cabinet was set to convene on Tuesday to approve new restrictions, as the daily COVID-19 caseload surpassed 3,000 for the first time since March.
According to the Health Ministry, 3,818 new cases were diagnosed on Monday, with 3.78% of tests returning positive. The number of serious cases stood at 221, of whom 46 were on ventilators.
Ministers were to discuss Health Ministry recommendations Tuesday to further restrict gatherings in an effort to contain the renewed COVID-19 outbreak, which has been blamed on the fast-spreading Delta variant.
Government ministers were also expected to consider expanding the list of countries from which travelers — including the vaccinated and recovered — must enter seven days of quarantine upon their arrival to Israel.
The so-called Green Pass was reinstated by the government on Thursday, with entry to events of more than 100 people — both indoors and outdoors — allowed only to those who are vaccinated, recovered, or who present a negative COVID test. However, children under age 12 were largely exempt from the system. Ministers are now expected to drop this exemption for young children and apply the rules to gatherings of less than 100 people.
Health Ministry director-general Nachman Ash expressed concern Monday over the continued rise in coronavirus cases, saying that the government’s next step would be to “tighten” some of the existing regulations in place to battle the resurgent outbreak.
“The situation is worrying,” he said at a press briefing.
“The next steps will be tightening the Green Pass and additional options — as much as possible without harming the economy,” he said, referring to a system that grants access to public events for the vaccinated and recovered, and calling on Israelis to adhere to the virus rules currently in place.
“We can’t become complacent,” he said.
Channel 12 news reported Monday that health officials were also pushing for masks to be made obligatory when in a crowd of more than 20 people, including outdoors.
According to the Ynet news site, the Health Ministry is planning to recommend that the government expand the list of “high risk” countries from which travelers to Israel are allowed entry but forced to quarantine for seven days.
Currently, the list includes the UAE, Uganda, Seychelles, Guatemala, Honduras, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Liberia, Mongolia,…
Read More: Daily COVID cases surge past 3,800; ministers to mull new restrictions