The Health Ministry confirmed on Motzei Shabbos that 1,745 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed in the previous 24 hours, raising the number of actives cases to 27,502, with 217 patients in a serious condition of whom 56 are ventilated.

Eight deaths were recorded since Friday night, raising the death toll to 400.

One of the fatalities was kindergarten teacher Shalva Zalfreund, a,h, 64, of Petach Tikvah, who passed away on Friday after contracting the virus three weeks ago in the classroom.

The news of Zalfreud’s death was announced hours after Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu‏‏ and Defense Minister Benny Gantz made a decision not to close the educational system. Also, the decision to close all restaurants as of Friday at 5 p.m. was reversed by Netanyahu at the last minute, at about 4 p.m. on Friday, when it was announced that restaurants would be allowed to be open until Tuesday. The reversal came in wake of widespread backlash and threats to ignore the closure by restaurant owners who said they were given no advance warning and they would be forced to throw out thousands of shekels of food they already ordered for the weekend.

The Likud stated on Motzei Shabbos that Netanyahu‏‏ will replace the head of the Knesset’s Coronavirus Committee, Likud MK Yifat Shasha Biton, for saying on Channel 12 News that the committee would not approve the government’s plans to close restaurants and beaches on weekends if they are not presented with statistics that justify the restrictions. Shasha-Biton has already found disfavor with the prime minister and Likud loyalists for voting to reopen pools and gyms shortly after the government made the decision to close them.

Thousands protested on Motzei Shabbos in Tel Aviv against the government’s economic response (or lack of response) to the coronavirus pandemic at Charles Clore Park and blocked main roads in the city.

In Jerusalem, thousands of anti-Netanyahu protesters demonstrating outside Netanyahu’s residence on Motzei Shabbos broke through a series of barricades and marched to the city center, blocking roads and yelling anti-Netanyahu slogans.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)