Israel sees slight drop in uptick of COVID-19 cases

Death toll rises to 291 after 71-year-old man succumbs to virus, schools to remain open unless students or faculty found infected though principals and local government can choose to close
Ynet|
Health officials said Wednesday that the rise in the number of new COVID-19 cases has slowed after 47 people were found to have contracted the virus out of the 7,200 who had been tested.
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  • The number of coronavirus cases has been on the rise in the past week, attributed at least partially to the reopening of schools.
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     Testing for coronavirus north of Tel Aviv
     Testing for coronavirus north of Tel Aviv
    Testing for coronavirus north of Tel Aviv
    (Photo: AFP )
    Earlier Wednesday, Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem said a 71-year-old man had succumbed to the virus, bringing the number of fatalities to 291 since the beginning of the pandemic.
    There are currently 2,103 people ill with the virus, 108 of them hospitalized for care.
    There are 27 people considered in serious condition, and 25 of those are on ventilators to assist their breathing.
    Also Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with Education Minister Yoav Galant and National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat on the new outbreak centered on schools.
    Netanyahu decided that schools should remain open unless COVID-19 cases among students or faculty are detected, though school principals and local governments have been given leeway to decide on the matter according to the needs of their communities.
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    חזרה ללימודים בבית הספר גבריאלי בתל אביב
    חזרה ללימודים בבית הספר גבריאלי בתל אביב
    Parents drop children off at school in Tel Aviv
    (Photo: Moti Kimchi)
    Galant said that the rise in cases of COVID-19 in schools continues but seems concentrated in Jerusalem and does not reflect a significant rise across the board.
    "We will have the situation under control. This virus will be with us for a while," the minister said.
    More than 7,500 Israeli students and faculty are currently in quarantine due to exposure to the coronavirus
    On Tuesday, Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov argued that schools should close and distance learning should resume.
    Serological testing is scheduled to begin next week for 70,000 people around the country, beginning in areas that have been hardest hit by the coronavirus.
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