Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 710 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, with the tests conducted showing a positivity rate of 2.1%. The number of active virus cases has risen again to over 8,000, with 322 seriously ill patients, of whom 134 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 2,678.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ warned on Monday that there will be no further easing of restrictions until the infection rate begins to decrease in light of the fact that the drop in new virus cases seen as a result of the lockdown has flattened.

“If there’s no improvement in the figures, we won’t enter the third stage,” the prime minister said during a visit to the new COVID-19 testing facility at Ben-Gurion Airport. “Together we’ll implement the necessary steps to ensure infection rates don’t rise.”

The National Security Council also warned the coronavirus cabinet of the rising infection rate and is urging the cabinet to implement further restrictions to avoid another outbreak, including curfews and lockdowns in “red” zones.

A report from the IDF’s Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center on Tuesday not only warns of an increase in the infection rate but predicts another coronavirus outbreak in Israel in the near future. “The data from the last two weeks clearly shows a halt in the decrease of morbidity and an increase in the basic reproduction number nationwide,” the report states.

“If the current trend continues, in light of the easing of restrictions that were implemented and those soon to be implemented, a renewed increase in morbidity is predicted in the near future.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)