Israeli authorities are said to be mulling imposing more health restrictions as health officials report 213 new COVID-19 cases diagnosed since midnight Sunday.
The Health Ministry said that with more than 32,000 tests conducted throughout Sunday, the contagion rate now stands at 0.7%, a slight increase from the average of the past few days.
The ministry added that at least 34 patients are in serious condition, of whom 16 are ventilated. In total, 63 COVID patients are currently being treated in hospitals.
In the wake of the recent resurgence of the pathogen in the country, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel's coronavirus cabinet will convene on Tuesday evening at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem to discuss a variety of issues, including reinstatement of some COVID restrictions.
Among restrictions which are being considered by the government are the possibility of reinstating the Green Pass order.
The Green Pass is a certificate issued to Israelis who have been vaccinated against or recovered from the pathogen. Until Israel lifted all of its COVID curbs in May, the certificate had to be presented at entrances to many public facilities.
The government is also considering limiting mass gatherings of children in confined spaces.
In addition, officials will discuss the possibility of requesting parents of children who have contracted coronavirus to enter self-isolation since children appear to be more vulnerable to the delta variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday that Israel will consider reintroducing further health restrictions if the coronavirus infection rate in the country continues to rise.
"In the past week there has been an increase in the rate of new coronavirus infections and thanks to previous lessons learned we are not waiting to protect the health our citizens. We must realize that the delta strain is raging around the world with a far higher rate of infection than all the previous strains and we intend to protect the citizens of Israel," Bennett said at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.
The prime minister urged Israelis to abide by regulations in order to minimize the impact on daily life while offering "maximum protection" against the virus.