The total number of confirmed Covid-19 coronavirus cases in Israel rose to 13,265 over the weekend, an increase of 283 in the past 24 hours. 13 more people passed away due to the virus bringing the total number of deaths in the country to 165. Among those ill with the disease, 164 are in serious condition (four fewer than Friday) and 113 are on respirators (nine fewer than Friday). Of the total 13,265 some 3,456 have made a full recovery (an increase of 330 since Friday). Thus the total number of ill people at this time still has not passed 10,000.

On Motzei Shabbos, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced that due to the relatively slow rise of new cases in Israel some of the restrictions regarding the lockdown will be lifted effective on Sunday.

According to the new regulations, some workplaces would reopen, and the number of employees in all workplaces that are allowed to be open will be increased from 15% to 30% of the entirety of the staff.

Hi-tech and service industries will see an even higher rise, but will be subject to restrictions, he added. Public spaces will open, with the exceptions of malls and open markets.

Stores located on the street that sell electrical and household products, as well as glasses, will be allowed to reopen.

Those over 67 years of age will not be allowed to go to work in their offices. Companies will be allowed to operate, and meetings of up to eight people may be held.

Special education schools will be reopened tomorrow and be allowed to have classes of up to three students each. Likewise, private kindergartens with up to three families with regular caregivers will be allowed to operate.

Exercise will be permitted in groups of two, and communal prayer will be allowed outdoors in quorums of up to ten people.

Netanyahu warned that “if another outbreak occurs over the coming two weeks, we will be forced to return to previous measures.”

Due to a dramatic increase in the number of people who became ill with the Coronavirus in the last 7 days a complete lockdown has been ordered for the Arab-Israeli city of Deir Al-Asad in the Galilee. 93 people have been confirmed to be carrying the virus in the city. The lockdown will continue for seven days.

The Health Ministry announced that on Friday they came close to hitting their goal of conducting 10,000 Corona tests once again missing the mark by just 50 tests.

35 elderly residents of the Zehavit nursing home in Ashkelon and the Beit Hadar nursing home in Ashdod who tested positive for Corona had their test results nullified as a secondary test revealed that none of them actually had the virus.

Police fined 10 surfers near the beach in Nahariya for not complying with the rules of the Health Minsitry and continuing to surf in spite of the directive not to go to the beach.

Police also stopped a prayer session of 100 Eritrean refugees in Eilat which went against the regulations of the Health Ministry not to hold group prayer sessions. The location, which has been converted into a church for the group has been closed by the police for the next 30 days.

Hezbollah terrorists cut holes in three sections of the border fence with Israel. An IDF Spokesperson issued a statement which said: “Following the report that we received alerts along the border fence with Lebanon, our forces conducted extensive searches in the area and found three breaches in the fence. A team from the Kometz Unit that is tasked with the upkeep of the fence has sent teams and is currently fixing the fence. There was no incursion into Israeli territory. We are investigating the circumstances the lead up to this incident. This is a very serious incident and the IDF views the Lebanese government as being responsible for all that occurs within its territory.”

A 20-year-old man was shot and killed in a hotel in Tel Aviv on HaYarkon Street over the course of Shabbos. Two suspects have been arrested by the police who investigating the incident and interrogating the suspects.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)