The southern city of Ashdod has recorded more coronavirus cases since the start of this week than in hotspots of Tel Aviv and Bat Yam combined, health officials confirmed on Tuesday.
The Health Ministry said since Sunday, 150 people tested positive for COVID-19 in Ashdod, followed only by Jerusalem with 180 new cases since the start of the week. Ashdod has effectively knocked Bnei Brak off the second spot in the list of cities with highest infection rate. The Haredi city reported 135 new diagnoses since Sunday.
In Tel Aviv, 96 new cases were reported, while in virus another hotspot of Bat Yam, 43 people tested positive for the pathogen since Sunday. In the southern city of Dimona, 55 people tested positive for the pathogen.
The ministry said since midnight on Tuesday, 469 new cases were reported, with the number of people currently infected with the virus climbing to 7,403 - the highest it's been in nearly two months.
Over the past 24 hours, 714 people tested positive for the virus and 19,922 tests had been conducted.
Fifty-two patients are in a serious condition, with 23 requiring ventilator support. The death toll from the coronavirus-related complications now stands at 320.
In light of further increase in cases, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held an urgent telephone meeting with other ministers and health officials, where it was decided to declare more towns and neighborhoods as "restricted," due to the high rate of infection in those locations.