Israel saw 613 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the Health Ministry said Monday morning.
A total of 532 patients are being treated in hospitals, with the number of severe patients dropping to 294 and the number of people on respirators remaining stable at 130.
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A healthcare professional treats a coronavirus patient at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon
(Photo: AFP)
Another 68 people tested positive since midnight, bringing the total number of active cases in Israel to 7,767.
The ministry said that 23,553 tests were conducted on Sunday, yielding a positivity rate of 2.7%.
The death toll since the start of the outbreak in Israel stands at 2,732.
The coronavirus cabinet convened for more than six hours on Sunday but failed to reach decisions regarding further easing of restrictions imposed to halt the spread of the virus or further opening of the education system.
Education Minister Yoav Galant argued that more students should be returned to schools because the education system has seen a decline in morbidity, despite the partial reopening of schools and kindergartens.
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Young students wear masks in class at a school in Kiryat Gat, near Be'er Sheva
(Photo: Roee Idan)
The call was opposed by the head of the public health services at the Health Ministry of Health, Dr. Sharon Elrai-Price, who called it "irresponsible."
Nonetheless, most ministers supported the return to school of students in grades 5, 6, 11 and 12.
Meanwhile, the proposal for a nighttime curfew has also apparently been dropped due to strong opposition by health experts led by coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash, who said that it would be ineffective.
A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said that he had ended by directing the head of the National Security Council and the experts to formulate additional plans to ease restrictions by the following day, "so that we can continue to open the economy and education system responsibly."