Israel is edging toward another, at least partial lockdown that includes the closure of almost all trade, a special IDF taskforce said Wednesday.
The government said last week if the average number of daily cases reaches 2,500 or if the coefficient of infection rises to 1.32, it will enforce the policy of "tight restraint" for at least three weeks. This includes, among other things, closure of the trade sector and the education system in "red" and "orange" municipalities.
On Tuesday, 2,862 people tested positive for COVID-19, putting the average figure of daily diagnoses at 1,984.
The Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center, which is part of Military Intelligence Directorate, said if the current trend continues, the country will reach the average of 2,500 daily cases in a week's time.
Israel has also recorded an increase in the infection rate, which currently stands at 3.5%, compared to a daily average of 2.89% reported a week prior. The number of tests, however, has also significantly increased with 83,308 people tested on Tuesday, the highest the figure has been since the onset of the pandemic.
The coefficient of infection now stands 1.21, compared to the average of 1.19 reported last week. The number of coronavirus-related fatalities this week has climbed to an average of 12 deaths a day, compared to last week's average of eight.
There has also been an increase in the number of patients in critical condition with 396 compared to 327 a week ago; an increase in the number of ventilated patients with 144 compared to 96 a week ago; an increase in the number of patients in moderate condition with 171 patients in this state compared to 123 a week ago and an increase in the number of patients being treated at hospitals, with 696 in treatment compared to 657 a week ago.