Israel has seen a spike in coronavirus cases as schools, businesses, restaurants, bars, tourist attractions, and other establishments reopen.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced the resumption of flights between Israel and Cyprus and Greece, starting August 1.
However, Head of Public Health Services at the Health Ministry Prof. Sigal Sadetsky warned against the continued neglect of the precautionary measures imposed by the Ministry.
“I’m sorry to say, the disease is coming back and the geographic spread of the virus in Israel could be called a second wave,” she stressed.
Addressing the Knesset’s Special Committee on the Novel Coronavirus on Tuesday, Sadetsky said there are significant increases in the number of cases found throughout the country, with an emphasis on children.
“There is an increase in morbidity in 57 localities unlike the first wave when it was confined to Jerusalem, Bani Barak, Deir al-Assad and a few other towns.
“This is not a given that can be ignored,” the Professor noted.
“We see a direct correlation between the opening of the economic facilities and the high spread of the virus.”
Meanwhile, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein rebuked lawmakers on Tuesday for failing to wear face masks.
MKs “walk around the Knesset without masks and call me ‘a pest’ when I tell them off,” said Edelstein.
“If we don’t observe the rules, we won’t be able to keep the economy open, over time,” he stressed.
The Health Ministry issued on Tuesday morning its daily statement, in which it announced 101 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections to 19,338 since the outbreak of the virus.
According to the statement, the number of hospitalized patients amounted to 129, while 2,393 patients undergo home treatment.
“There are 401 patients in quarantine centers, and 16,152 people are subject to home quarantine, while the number of people who have been quarantined since the beginning of the pandemic reached 230,329.”
Former Defense Minister Naftali Bennett fiercely attacked the Netanyahu-Gantz unity government on Monday, accusing it of failing to prepare Israel for another wave of the coronavirus.
