Israel, the West Bank and Gaza are dealing with a renewed coronavirus outbreak, leading to proposals and measures intended to curb its spread and mitigate the economic ramifications of the crisis by both Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
Israel currently has 17,876 active cases; 2,366 people have died. In the West Bank, there are 5,238 active cases and 453 deaths, and in Gaza 1,921 active cases and 28 deaths.
LIVE UPDATES
9:40 A.M. Cabinet to discuss reopening
Israel's coronavirus cabinet will discuss reopening first and second grades in schools across the country, following a demand from the Health Ministry to split classes into groups of no more than 18 students.
If the proposal is accepted, the week will be split into two, with each group studying separately at different times.
In talks held at the end of the week between the ministries of health, education and finance, the Health Ministry said it would not retract its demand to split first and second grades into “capsules” of up to 18 children.
The Finance Ministry does not want to fully fund the capsules, which carries a 6 billion-shekel ($1.77 billion) price tag. According to the Education Ministry, division into capsules requires not only a huge budget, but also time – about five weeks to hire more teachers from the lower grades.
Local government, backed by the treasury, wants to give local communities the autonomy to deal with the division into capsules as they see fit, without additional funding. For example, a community with a small number of children per class can return to full opening, while other communities will find creative solutions, such as studying fewer days per week or inside and outside the classroom intermittently. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia, Ido Efrati)
SATURDAY
9:00 P.M. Netanyahu says Israel's infection rate declined 'more than any other European country'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his government had to make difficult decisions regarding the restrictions imposed on Israeli citizens, but claimed "we have declined in infection rate more than any other European country."
Netanyahu also said that the cabinet will discuss education and business at its meeting on Sunday. "We may open up education gradually and we may open up businesses gradually. I want this process to be accompanied by strict adherence to the steps. We stick to the plan." He also said that he wil propose imposing a "dramatic increase in fines on institutions."
"I know it is difficult and that there are difficulties for the self-employed and the small business. We have helped you and we will help you more." The prime minister added: "What is needed at the moment is simply the ability to put politics aside and put the State of Israel on top. To all my political opponents I say we will have enough time for politics. Leave it." (Haaretz)
8:40 P.M. Coronavirus Cabinet to meet Sunday, discuss shortening lockdown exit strategy
Israel's coronavirus cabinet will convene on Sunday to discuss, among other things, shortening the country's lockdown exit strategy from nine to five or six steps.
The cabinet will also discuss what the second and next stage will entail, including whether or not to reopen primary schools and under which conditions to do so.
Additionally, the issue of lockdown violation fines will arise again. (Ido Efrati)
7:15 P.M. Number of active cases at 15,876 as Israel diagnoses over 500 new cases
Israel diagnosed 534 new cases on Satuday, bringing the total number of active cases to 15,876, of which 552 are in critical condition and 218 are on ventilators, according to Health Ministry figures. Nine more Israelis have died of the virus, raising the total deathtoll to 2,366.
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309,374 people have contracted the virus since the beginning of the outbreak, of which 291,130 have recovered.
27,481 tests were conducted on Friday. (Haaretz)
6:30 P.M. Beloved Israeli actor Yehuda Barkan dies of COVID-19
Israeli actor, director, screenwriter and producer Yehuda Barkan died on Saturday at the age of 75 after contracting the coronavirus about three weeks ago.
Barkan was hospitalized on Yom Kippur at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem following a deterioration of his condition. Last Tuesday he was transferred to the intensive care unit due to persistent shortness of breath.
He is survived by four children, seven grandchildren and countless fans who grew up on his films and easily quote lines from "Charlie Ve'hetzi" (1974), "Hagiga BaSnuker" (1975), "The Skipper" (1987) and others, which became Israeli classics. (Itay Stern)
FRIDAY
2:50 P.M. Education, Health Ministries permit schools to hold outdoor activities
The Health Ministry and Education Ministry announced that they have amended the regulations prohibiting educational activities in open areas.
In light of this, schools will be able to carry out outdoor activities in permanent groups of up to nine students, with no turnover of staff or students between groups. Students must wear masks at all times, except for eating, drinking and sports activities.
Students and staff will eat their meals separately, and the group will keep a distance of two meters apart at all times. The distance between the different groups will not be less than 100 meters.
The new regulations will be submitted to the government for approval on Sunday. (Shira Kadari-Ovadia)
11:15 A.M. Bnei Brak's status changed from 'red' to 'yellow'
Authorities have changed the city of Bnei Brak's rating from red to yellow in the so-called traffic light plan, which rates towns red, yellow, or green based on their coronavirus outbreak. According to a statement from the city, recent weeks have seen "a dramatic drop of 90 percent" in the incidence of disease in Bnei Brak, with 413 new cases being diagnosed over the past week – compared to 4,180 two weeks ago. The city also said it was the most-tested city, with 70% of residents having been tested for the virus. (Haaretz)
8:55 A.M. Police disperse wedding with 300 guests
Police said Friday that they had dispersed a wedding with about 300 guests, held in violation of coronavirus restrictions, on Thursday night. Acccording to police, the event took place at a farm in Ben Shemen Forest and included food tables, a band, and a dance party, with some guests failing to wear masks or social distance. One guest damaged a police car and broke one of its windows, and was arrested and brought in for questioning, police said. (Haaretz)
THURSDAY
10:00 P.M. Israel registers 831 new cases
According to Health Ministry data, 831 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed on Thursday. The total death toll stands at 2,319, after 28 people died on Thursday. The number of patients in intensive care continues to decline.
On Thursday, 22,133 tests were taken across Israel. The rate of positives is 2.7 percent.
3:00 P.M. Hospitals begin closing, scaling back coronavirus wards as cases drop
Hospitals have begun closing and scaling back coronavirus wards following the decrease in confirmed cases, in a step that will allow them to reopen internal medicine wards ahead of the winter. However, the hospitals, like the Health Ministry, have not come out with official declarations about closing wards, both in order to avoid making overly hasty announcements and because the number of hospitalized cases is still considerable.
As of Thursday morning, there were 1,602 coronavirus patients hospitalized in the country, including 581 in serious condition. There were 231 people on ventilators. By comparison, in late September, as a lockdown was imposed, there were nearly 1,500 hospitalized cases and nearly 800 cases in serious condition. (Ido Efrati)
9:30 A.M. Coronavirus czar: Government should reach final decision on reopening schools by Sunday
Ronni Gamzu, the official overseeing the country's coronavirus response, said Thursday that the government should make a final decision on reopening schools by Sunday and that a week later some grades will resume in-person classes. He also admitted, "Last time, we reopened in a less safe way than was required" and said that the reopening in September was planned in July when officials had less knowledge of the virus and thus thought the plan was sufficient. (Haaretz)
8:15 A.M. Health minister: Data permitting, schools can be reopened in 10 days
Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said Thursday that schools can be reopened in 10 days, should the data allow it. He also said that weddings including up to 20 people were allowed, and that "I'm not willing to be an Antiochus who forbids weddings." Parties, however, will have to wait, he said. (Haaretz)
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