Coronavirus ‘tsar’: Israel may need a night clock on the Passover

There is a chance that Israel will have to set a night clock during Passover, said commissioner of the coronavirus, prof. Nachman Ash, said Sunday when the third phase of the exit strategy of the closure began, and the country marked 800,000 cumulative cases of people infected. he is watching the consequences of the rallies that took place on Purim and of the new opening round, he told Army Radio. This year, Passover begins on March 27, just four days after the election. “I believe that if we clearly see the openings endangering us, we may have to make a painful decision before the election,” Ash said, adding that if necessary, the outline might be the same as the one on Purim was implemented, which required Israelites to stay within 1,000 meters of their homes. between 20:30 and 17:00 “However, my hope is that we will be able to celebrate Passover with our families.” Ash said he believes the requirement that people should always wear a mask outdoors can be canceled as it is effective. activity is limited. However, since there are other situations when wearing a mask is important, there is not going to be a change in regulation, he said. “The aim here is not to cause further confusion – where yes and where no – so the rule remains,” he added. “But the point is that the police should not apply it in such areas.” Hopefully, the 3.5 million Israelis who have already been fully vaccinated will help protect other people, and the reopening of commercial activities, schools and opportunities will not lead to a new outbreak, Ash said.

The K, or reproduction rate, has increased over the past few days and stood at 1.02 on Sunday, the Coronavirus Knowledge and Information Center reported. This means that on average, every person infected with COVID infects just over one person. The R rate has raised concerns among health officials, while others, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have stressed that thanks to the vaccination campaign, it is important to point out the number of vaccinated and patients in serious condition. After a few days of steady decline, the number of serious patients rose to 712 on Sunday. Last week, Israel was the first time since December to drop to 700. On Sunday, only 1,923 people tested positive during the previous 24 hours. However, the number is only partially significant because a limited number of tests are performed during the Sabbath. At the last count, 5861 people died from the coronavirus, including 30 during the weekend. In terms of vaccination, about 4.94 million Israelis had the first dose of the approximately 53% of the population and 3.75 million had both doses. Hashmonaim, just above the Green Line near Modi’in, has the highest vaccination rate. According to the Ministry of Health, 84% of the residents eligible for the vaccine received the first dose, and almost 70% had the second dose. In Jerusalem, 38% received the first dose, and 25% received both doses. Israel vaccinated about 40,000 people daily with the first shot (excluding Friday and Saturday). On Sunday, Netanyahu, who is on the campaign, said Israel had almost come out of its COVID-19 closure. , the government gradually redesigned the reopening of businesses, schools and Ben-Gurion Airport with capital. have to keep an eye on ourselves, ”he said. ‘We have to wear masks, keep distances that people need, social distances. But we get out of it, and there is not much more. ‘Some recreational facilities have limited access to customers who can prove COVID immunity with a so-called’ Green Pass’ issued by the Ministry of Health, which hopes the policy will win. Israel is still reluctant to be vaccinated. In an interview on Channel 12, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein called on the public to remain cautious and to abide by the rules to avoid the need to re-introduce restrictions, including during the Passover .Reuters contributed to this report.