Israel's public health chief said the full lockdown, set to go into effect midnight Friday, might last "more than two weeks".
Ministers earlier this week voted to tighten the current coronavirus lockdown for at least two weeks, including shuttering of the education system, in an effort to bring down the worrying surge in COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Sharon Elrai-Price said during Thursday's briefing the outbreak has been picking up pace. "We see the numbers double every two weeks. Today, 80% of Israel's population lives are in red or orange communities," she said.