Israelis began heading back to the beach this weekend as government restrictions on movement were lifted and rules were relaxed on how far away from home one could travel. Israel Police said they would still enforce social distancing and the need for wearing masks.
The number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus infections in Israel has dropped to 16,185, according to the Ministry of Health.
Of those, there are only 6,363 who are actively infectious, of whom 304 are hospitalized; 105 patients in serious condition, of whom 82 are sedated and breathing with the help of ventilators.
At least 3,654 Israelis are battling the virus at home and 1,599 are dealing with the illness in dedicated hotels. Another 807 are waiting for a decision on where to go.
Sadly, 229 Israelis have lost their lives to the virus.
The good news: at least 9, 400 Israelis have recovered from the virus. “The spread of the COVID-19 virus in Israel has been halted,” Channel 12’s medical correspondent asserted in a report this weekend.
At least 80 percent of the cities, towns and villages across the country are reporting no new cases of the virus over the past several days.
However, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and in Hura have all still reported more than five new cases over the past several days; all but Bnei Brak have been in partial lockdown in an effort to get the situation under control.
A number of hospitals around the country have reported the closure of their virus wards after the discharge of their last COVID-19 patients and no new ones arriving; in Jerusalem, Shaare Zedek Medical Center has also closed four of its six coronavirus wards.