Israeli Officials Warn of Renewed Lockdown Amid COVID-19 Spike

Israeli officials have warned that sweeping restrictions – including a possible return to lockdown – could be re-imposed in a bid to curb a spike in the country’s coronavirus cases. The Health Ministry on Wednesday morning announced 299 new COVID-19 diagnoses in the preceding 24-hour period, by far the highest daily tally since April. The ministry has registered over 1,700 new infections since June 1, with Tel Aviv now being viewed as the epicenter of the renewed outbreak. The progressive jump in the number of new cases comes after Israel had for weeks registered a maximum of a few dozen infections per day, if any at all. In response, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Wednesday convened the so-called coronavirus cabinet to discuss developments and determine a course of action. According to Israeli media, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein is lobbying the government to reverse previous steps taken to re-open the economy, although he is expected to come up against major resistance from others who believe that the implementation of anything resembling another nationwide shutdown would cause a financial meltdown.