There are 16,314 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Israel as of Wednesday, a rise of 43 new cases in the past 24 hours, with 90 in serious condition, of whom 70 are ventilated.

A total of 10,527 Israelis have recovered from the virus, leaving only 5,549 active virus cases in Israel.

Israel recorded 239 deaths from the coronavirus as of Wednesday, including a 70-year-old Bnei Brak resident who passed away in Laniado Hospital in Netanya on Wednesday afternoon after being transferred there from the Ateret Avot nursing home.

Health Ministry Director Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said on Tuesday evening that he hopes that all coronavirus restrictions will be eased within six weeks and maybe even by the end of May.

“We will allow gatherings of up to 100 people,” Bar Siman-Tov said. “We will allow more classrooms to be opened, after-school activities, parks, swimming pools, competitive sports and restaurants. We hope to do all that by the end of the month.”

Israeli government-sponsored daycares for children up to the age of three will re-open on Sunday. Children will be divided into groups of up to 17 children and priority for the limited spots will be given to those most in need, meaning that about 30% of children will not have spots.

Children aged 3-6 will also return to preschools and kindergartens on Sunday in groups of up to 18 in the classroom. The groups will be divided into even smaller groups for free play outside and most children will only be able to attend school three days a week due to space limitations. Schools will close at 2 p.m. since afternoon programs will not be resuming for the time being.

In general, in all grades, students will most likely have to attend school on a rotation basis to allow more space for small groups and to maintain social distancing.

The Knesset renewed the lockdown on the Bedouin town of Hura near Be’er Sheva on Tuesday, which currently has the second-highest rate of coronavirus infections in the country. The lockdown expired on Sunday and was not renewed due to a bureaucratic error.

Hura has the highest growth rate of the virus in Israel, with the number of cases tripling over the last week.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)