Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ warned on Tuesday that the current lockdown will last at least a month.

“The lockdown won’t be less than a month and could be longer,” Netanyahu said on a Facebook Live video. The prime minister added that Israel now has over 800 seriously ill patients, the often-cited maximum number that Israel’s hospitals can treat.

“Unfortunately, the number of deaths is also rising,” the prime minister said. “I urge all citizens to comply with the rules, without exception. People don’t understand the power of masks. Wearing them inside saves lives.”

Health Ministry Director-General Chezy Levy told hospital directors on Wednesday that a plan is being implemented to add 1,500 hospital beds – 750 by October 5, and another 750 by October 15.

The Health Ministry stated on Wednesday that the percentage of positive coronavirus tests climbed to a record high of 15%. The ministry confirmed 4,953 new coronavirus cases in the previous 24 hours, a low number corresponding to the still low number of tests performed on Wednesday in the days following Yom Kippur.

There are currently 65,149 active patients, with 810 seriously ill patients, of whom 205 are ventilated. At least 73% of the ventilated patients are men, according to the Health Ministry. The death toll has risen to 1,547.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)