The Israeli Health Ministry reported Monday evening that 3,274 Israelis were diagnosed with the coronavirus since Sunday night at midnight, out of a total of 34,954 tests conducted.
Thus far, a total of 160,368 Israelis have been infected with COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.
At present, 524 patients are listed in very serious condition and of those, 143 require respirator support.
A total of 1,136 Israelis have lost their lives to the virus.
Tens of thousands of Israelis are currently infected with COVID-19 and actively fighting the illness: there are 39,592 active carriers of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen throughout the country.
The good news is, however, that 118,547 Israelis have made a full recovery.
Transportation Regulations Released for Lockdown
During the lockdown set to begin this coming Friday at 2 pm, buses will operate at 50 percent capacity and will cease to run on the weekends. In addition, buses will not be allowed to fill with passengers beyond the halfway point.
According to a plan released by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, buses will run Sunday through Thursday, 5 am 10 pm. Intercity service will stop running on Friday and Saturday evenings and prior to holidays. Buses within cities will continue to operate on Fridays and Saturdays.
Israel Railways will also operate Sunday through Thursday from 5 am to 10 pm — but tickets must be purchased in advance.
For those with private vehicles and ideas that it might be possible to get to one’s family and back despite the lockdown, be warned: Israel Police plan to have hundreds of roadblocks “out there” to stop folks with exactly these kinds of plans, and who are in their vehicles traveling beyond that 500-meter limit set by the government. Police say there will be a fine of NIS 500 for each individual in the vehicle traveling outside their district.
The only exception to the above will be someone with a valid ticket to fly out of the country, four hours before their flight — and then they will be allowed to travel to the airport. Those returning from a “green” country likewise will be allowed to travel towards their home; those coming back from a “red” country will be told to go into quarantine.