Israel Set for Drastic Steps as Coronavirus Spreads Unchecked

Israel’s government will convene on Sunday to determine which cities, towns and neighborhoods will be placed under lockdown after failing to stem the spread of coronavirus. On Saturday, the number of deaths in Israel crossed the 1,000 threshold, and the number of patients in serious condition grew to 440. The rate of positive results from coronavirus testing is the highest it’s been, at 10%. The government must choose from a shortlist of “infection centers” supplied by the country’s so-called coronavirus czar, Prof. Ronni Gamzu. All the locations are home to ultra-Orthodox Jews or Arab citizens, two communities in which, due to crowded living conditions, the virus has spread. Members of parliament from the country’s two ultra-Orthodox parties threatened on Sunday that they would not allow their constituents to be discriminated against, demanding instead that a lockdown be imposed on Israel in its entirety.