Coronavirus Czar Prof. Nachman Ash addressed the restrictions Israelis can expect to see over the upcoming Purim and Passover holidays.
"There will be no carnival celebrations on Purim. Hopefully we can sit with the family on Pesach, but even then it will not be free," Ash said in an interview with Kan news.
Ash also referred to the partial opening of the education system tomorrow and noted that a return to full activity by the schools is not in sight.
"Education Minister Galant's statement that studies will not resume in full until the middle of next year did not rely on the Ministry of Health's forecast, but the implication that we must be prepared for the long term is correct," he said.
The Health Ministry reported Wednesday evening that the trend of decline in the rate of verified coronavirus cases is continuing. 3,735 people have been diagnosed with coronavirus since midnight, and of the approximately 50,000 tests performed, 7.6% came back with a positive result.
The death toll stands at 5,244 people, six of whom passed away today. Since the beginning of the week, 119 coronavirus patients have died.
Almost a quarter of Israelis have received the first dose of vaccine and close to 15% are waiting for the second dose. About 34,000 received the first vaccine dose today, and about 46,000 received the second dose. Data from the Health Ministry also show that 81% of Israelis aged 90 and over received two doses of vaccine, as did 80% of Israelis in their 80s, 87.3% among those aged 70 to 79, 69.5% among those aged 60 to 69 and 51.8% among those aged 50 to 59.