Israeli Gov’t Extends Lockdown as Pandemic Continues Spread

Israel’s battle with the out-of-control coronavirus on Wednesday continued as the country climbed the world’s new daily infection charts yet again and saw hundreds more hospitalized with the virus. Close to 9,000 people were positively diagnosed over the past 24 hours, as the test positivity rate neared 10%. With 400 dead over the past week alone, Israel’s Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kisch on Wednesday proposed delaying the general election scheduled for March 23 to a later date when the pandemic would be brought under control. Rival politicians roundly rejected his statement, saying the Likud lawmaker’s suggestion would injure Israel’s already battered democracy even further. Late Tuesday night, Jerusalem’s coronavirus cabinet approved the extension of the nationwide lockdown, imposed for the third time since the pandemic began last year, by another 10 days. All places of business and the entire school system will remain shuttered, as the country’s unemployment rate soars to over 25%.