Israel's coronavirus death toll has exceeded 2,000 fatalities after the Health Ministry reported that 16 more Israelis have passed away on Monday after contracting the pathogen.
Since the start of the pandemic, 2,016 Israelis have succumbed to the virus.
Also reported were 1,915 new coronavirus diagnoses, putting the total national caseload at 293,553.
Out of the 52,892 patients currently battling the disease across the country, 827 are in serious condition, with 227 connected to ventilators.
With 31,380 coronavirus tests conducted by Monday evening, the national contagion rate stands at 6.1%.
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Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu during a press conference in the northern Druze town of Julis
(Photo: Avihu Shapira)
Israel's top coronavirus health official, Prof. Ronni Gamzu, said on Monday he believes that kindergartens around the country could reopen as soon as Sunday, as the government is set to debate the possibility of lifting some restrictions on Tuesday.
Gamzu's statements came a day after Health Ministry's Head of Public Health Services Sharon Elrai-Price said it's unlikely schools and kindergartens will reopen on Sunday since the infection rate still does not meet the ministry's criteria.
Gamzu told Ynet in an interview that pre-school educational facilities are "least dangerous" when it comes to infections within the education system. "This will also allow parents to go back to work and provide for their families.”