MDA medic dressed to check for coronavirus
MDA medic dressed to check for coronavirusYonatan Sindel/Flash90

The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Israel has risen to 433, the Health Ministry announced Wednesday.

Six of the patients are in serious condition in isolated hospital wards, 12 are in moderate condition, 404 are in mild condition and 11 patients have recovered and been released to their homes.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today headed a discussion on the spread of the coronavirus, in which additional directions of action were taken as well as increased isolation enforcement.

The Minister of Health, the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Public Security, head of the National Security Council, the Acting Director General of the Prime Minister's Office, the Director General of the Ministry of Health, the head of the National Economic Council, the Acting Police Commissioner, the head of the Defense Ministry Nation Emergency Management Authority and other officials participated in the discussion.

Netanyahu is considering increasing the enforcement of isolation by imposing a full lockdown on Israeli citizens which will require them to stay in their homes. Minister of Public Security Gilad Erdan instructed the security agencies to prepare for the full closure, and estimated that such a decision would be made in the coming days.

"The decision to move to full quarantine is a very difficult decision, but in the resulting situation it is inevitable, it is best to take difficult short-term measures to beat the coronavirus in the shortest time and prevent deaths," Erdan said.

It was discovered Wednesday that a judge in the Rishon Letzion Magistrate's Court was infected with the coronavirus and was put into isolation. As a result, 25 additional judges who came in contact with him were also placed in quarantine.