Virus toll rises by 37; Netanyahu says he'll push heavy fines for rule violators

Cases continue decline with 692 on Friday; 552 people are in serious condition; death toll stands at 2,336

As coronavirus infection rates around the country continued to fall, the trailing effects of the virus were still taking their toll over the weekend. Saturday saw an additional 37 new COVID-19 fatalities added to the national count, which now stands at 2,366.

It appeared that some of the deaths may have been added retroactively, with the Health Ministry saying only nine people had died of the virus on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday he intended to push for heavy fines Sunday for violations of health regulations. Israeli officials have expressed fear that recent achievements in bringing down infection rates could be set back by a lack of public adherence to rules as lockdown measures are eased. The past week saw many ultra-Orthodox schools open illegally and reports of renewed weddings in the Arab community despite a ban on mass gatherings.

According to Health Ministry figures, the number of active cases declined to 15,876, out of 309,374 infections confirmed since the pandemic began. There were 552 people in serious condition, with 218 of them on ventilators. Another 158 were in moderate condition and the rest had mild or no symptoms.

Because testing rates typically fall off on the weekends and holidays, Friday saw just 27,481 tests performed, a drop from around 40,000 per day in recent weeks.

There were 692 coronavirus cases recorded Friday, a positive test rate of 2.5%

Thursday marked the first time since July 3 that fewer than 1,000 new cases were recorded on a weekday (excluding Sunday, after the weekend). The number of tests performed was 32,290, with a positive test rate of 2.8%.

Sunday saw the national lockdown begin to be eased, with preschools and kindergartens allowed to open. A one-kilometer limit on travel for non-essential needs was also lifted and restaurants were allowed to offer takeout rather than just delivery.

The so-called coronavirus cabinet met Wednesday to discuss allowing shops and more schools to reopen, but pushed off a decision until next week.

Clalit Health Services workers take swab samples for preschool and daycare staff members at a drive-through coronavirus testing site in the central city of Lod, October 16, 2020. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)

During the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the Health Ministry’s nine-stage plan for lifting the lockdown to be shrunk to five phases, but health officials expressed concerns about doing so.

Following the initial coronavirus lockdown in the spring, health officials abandoned their several-step plan amid pressure from ministers and opened nearly all schools and businesses at once in early May. That move has been blamed for playing a significant part in runaway infection rates over the summer that led to the second national lockdown.