One million Israelis could be infected with the novel coronavirus and 10,000 could die, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned his ministers Monday during an seven-hour meeting with top officials about ongoing efforts to stop the spread of the virus.
“We could reach a million infected within a month,” the prime minister said according to a report on N12. “There could also be 10,000 dead Israelis.”
A government official who was present at the hearing told N12 there is a sense among decision makers that some ministers and the public have still not internalized the rapid spread and infection rate of the coronavirus.
As of Tuesday morning, 1,656 Israelis have been diagnosed with coronavirus, according to the Health Ministry. Of those, 31 are in serious condition, an increase of three people from the day before.
The Health Ministry reported that the majority still have mild cases of the novel virus – 1,528 – and another 47 people are in moderate condition.
So far, one person has died from the virus. A second possible death caused by the coronavirus is currently being investigated, Israeli media reported, following the death of a man in his 60s on Monday at Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov Hospital) in Tel Aviv.
Forty-nine people have recovered from the virus.
The number of infected people is expected to climb at Israel conducts more coronavirus tests. In the last 24 hours, more than 3,700 people were screened. On Monday, Magen David Adom opened up three more drive-through testing complexes, in Jerusalem, Beersheba and Haifa.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spent seven-hours in meetings with top relevant officials on Monday to discuss a new series of restrictions that could impact the movement of the Israeli public. His office said dialogue would continue overnight and details of the new measures would be released sometime on Tuesday.
According to N12, the government will approve the new regulations by noon.
Among the possible measures, people would only be allowed to leave their homes within 100 meters.
Leisure activities would only be allowed within walking distance and sporting events in general would be subject to restrictions. Channel 12 said that new regulations are not likely to include specific orders for those over 65 but a general recommendation not to leave their homes. Essential workers who fall in that age range would be allowed to leave but with caution.
Existing guidelines would not change with regards to traveling to and from work, and the ability to buy food, medicine or other essential products would not be limited even after the decision is approved, the Prime Minister's Office explained.
In the discussions on Monday, Channel 12 said, ensuring that Police had the necessary tools to enforce the restrictions was also discussed.
So far, more than 135,000 Israelis have spent time in quarantine. The Health Ministry said that 71,029 are in isolation now.
The Health Ministry's guidelines have hurt the economy, pushing Israel's unemployment rate to 18.6% as of Tuesday morning. So far, the Israeli Employment Service said that some 615,834 people have applied for unemployment benefits in March, including 38,000 on Monday.
The unemployment rate was 4% before the virus. The Finance Ministry has insisted that if a full state of emergency closure is implemented that the economy could not be restored.
On Tuesday, the food vendors of Machne Yehuda Market received some good news. Tali Friedman, head of the market's association, posted that she and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion had reached a preliminary agreement that would allow the market's shops to open for delivery only. She said that more details would be released later in the day.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
