Israel's coronavirus czar on Tuesday said there is a slight decline in the number of new COVID-19 infections in the country due to the "very effective" nationwide lockdown.
The government imposed a nationwide lockdown over two weeks ago after a massive surge in coronavirus infection, resulting in over 9,000 new cases being discovered on a daily basis.
Gamzu told reporters in a press briefing that he is not yet convinced the R rate has dropped low enough in all parts of Israel. "I cannot say definitively the infection is down everywhere," he said.
"I spoke to a doctor at the Sharon Medical Center (in Petah Tikva) soon after she performed a dramatic resuscitation of a young man and a relatively young woman, both with no pre-existing health conditions, who suffered a respiratory failure," Gamzu said.
"Anyone who compares COVID to flu does not know this disease, which poses many unknown challenges to us and has wreaked havoc on medical systems all over the world."
The czar said lockdown restrictions should be kept in place at least for another week including the closure of schools and non-essential businesses. "We will make a decision next week when we have a better sense of the infection spread."
Gamzu implored the public to continue observing health directives especially during the holiday of Sukkot, with synagogues as well as beaches remaining off limits. "We owe it to ourselves to get out of this situation," he said.
Responding to reports that Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel had violated health restrictions and traveled 150 kilometers from her Tel Aviv home and attended services at a synagogue in Tiberias, Gamzu said everyone including politicians must adhere to the restrictions with full compliance.
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Minister of Environmental Protection Gila Gamliel who came under fire for violating lockdown restrictions
"A person elected to be a public servant must understand the rules apply to him or her even more than to ordinary citizens, and must behave responsibly. Such violations diminish public trust in the government," the professor said, calling on politicians to understand the example they must set.
Gamzu estimated there will be no effective vaccine for coronavirus before the new year at the earliest.
On Monday 5,647 new cases of the virus were confirmed, with 1,650 people hospitalized for treatment. At least 875 people are in serious condition, with 220 of them on ventilators.
The contagion rate of the 52,059 tests conducted stood on 11%.