The Health Ministry is said to be mulling bringing back some of COVID-19 restrictions amid an increase in daily coronavirus cases.
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz, who himself was diagnosed with COVID on Monday, convened a meeting on Tuesday afternoon to discuss the increase in cases.
The health officials concluded at the end of the meeting that aside from the renewed awareness campaign, they recommend for the elderly and immunocompromised populations to wear a mask in closed spaces.
Additionally, the cancellation of mandatory quarantine for actively ill patients is likely to be postponed. An evaluation of current vaccination rates is expected to be conducted in the upcoming days, along with a probable recommendation for a fifth dose.
Besides Horowitz, four other Knesset members tested positive for COVID on Monday.
Public Security Minister Omer Bar-Lev was also added to the list of positive lawmakers on Tuesday. His office said the minister is feeling well and will work from home, where he is isolating.
According to the Health Ministry data, Monday's number of confirmed was the highest since April 25th, reaching 3,731. There have been about 250 daily confirmed cases on average over the past few days, in comparison to about 100 daily cases on average last week, showing an increase of close to 18%.
Despite the alarming data, the number of cases leading to hospitalization remains relatively stable.
The health ministry says they do not intend on bringing back the testing cites at the Ben Gurion Airport.
Many officials point to the recent return to 'normal' life after two years of pandemic-induced restrictions, saying that the correlation to the increasing cases is not surprising.
"We're not worried by this increase at this point," says Dr. Doron Doshnitzky, director of the COVID unit at Leumit Health Care Services. "Every time the data goes in a certain direction there is vigilance, but nothing beyond that."