The coronavirus cabinet convened Tuesday evening to discuss putting in place further measures to stem the spread of the highly mutated Omicron variant amid worrying signs of resurging COVID-19 morbidity.
Prior to the meeting, ministers approved via telephone vote reducing attendance for public employees to 50% from December 26 through January 26.
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Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
(Photo: Moti Milrod)
Health Ministry officials also presented ministers with a list of recommendations, including tightening gathering caps at businesses and public events.
The panel also agreed on an outline that would only allow in-person learning in cities with bad COVID-19 outbreaks if at least 70% of students have been vaccinated. If immunization rates are below 70%, schools will have to revert to distance learning.
Some ministers on Monday showed reluctance about imposing new restrictions on the public, especially those regarding public gatherings, with some deeming such measures unnecessary at this stage of Israel's COVID-19 outbreak and detrimental to the country's economic recovery.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry reported 170 new Omicron cases on Tuesday, doubling the country's total caseload in just 24 hours at 341.
So far, however, all Omicron carriers have either displayed mild symptoms or were asymptomatic and did not require hospitalization.
Out of the confirmed virus carriers, 246 were either fully vaccinated with a booster shot or have recently recovered from COVID-19.