Yaakov Litzman
Yaakov LitzmanYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Outgoing Health Minister Yaakov Litzman said on Sunday that he, too, thought there was an overreaction when preparing for the coronavirus outbreak.

Speaking in an interview on Reshet Bet radio, Litzman claimed that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu "responded to the fears of the Director-General of the Ministry of Health, Moshe Bar Siman Tov."

"I, too, thought it was an overreaction when my Director-General said there could be ten thousand dead. I shouted during the government meeting, in his presence, that it would not happen. The Prime Minister accepted this exaggeration and responded to the fears of the Director-General, I am not complaining about him, because overall the situation is excellent.”

Litzman also spoke about his new role as Minister of Construction and Housing, and made it clear that he would look out for everyone, including the haredi public. "There is no shame in helping the haredi sector," he added. "I want every young couple in Israel to have an apartment."

According to the Ministry of Health’s data, there are 3,403 active cases of coronavirus in Israel, 44 of whom are in serious condition. To date, 272 Israelis have died of the coronavirus and 12,942 have recovered.