Israeli Health Officials Urge Caution as Virus Figures Improve

Israel’s battle with the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday continued its positive trend as the number of new cases, serious cases and rate of positive tests all dropped significantly. Health experts warned that over the weekend only 12,000 tests were administered, as opposed to 60,000 a week ago, and that the encouraging figures should be taken with a grain of salt. Yet ministers and government officials on Sunday were already vocally pushing for a comprehensive rollback of restrictions and workplace limitations. On Saturday, the statewide protests against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s handling of the pandemic raged on as tens of thousands were estimated to have gathered across the country. The demonstrators, who also protested Netanyahu’s remaining in office despite the commencement of his trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, were forced to hold limited, fragmented rallies in local squares and intersections due to the emergency decrees passed by Netanyahu’s cabinet that ban mass gatherings.