The death toll from the coronavirus in Israel has risen to 222, the Heath Ministry reported Thursday evening. The total number of coronavirus patients climbed to 15,946.
82 patients remain in serious condition, while 8,561 patients have recovered from the disease so far.
Earlier, a senior Health Ministry official called on the government not to open kindergartens this Sunday, March 3. The official added that elementary schools up to the third grade can be allowed to open on Sunday.
“We’ve seen great results on the national infection map, and we can take this step and wait with kindergartens until the next round, when our [national] health will be a week or two along. The group that is safest to start with are first to third graders,” the official said.
According to the plan presented by the ministry, schools will resume a partial routine on Sunday when grades 1-3 will return to classes in a limited format while kindergartens will remain closed. The final decision will be made by the government tomorrow.
The Jerusalem neighborhoods of Romema, Kiryat Belz, and Kiryat Sanz will be declared "restricted areas," government officials declared Thursday evening. The Bedouin town of Hura will also be declared a "restricted area."
The decision to place the neighborhoods under lockdown was made in response to increased morbidity rates of the coronavirus.
The lockdowns will begin at 11 PM tonight and continue until midnight Sunday.