Israel Sees Six More Covid-19 Deaths; Beitar Illit Declared A Restricted Zone

JERUSALEM (JNS) – Israel recorded six more coronavirus-related deaths over the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s death toll from the disease to 343, according to the Israeli Health Ministry.

Since Tuesday, over 1,000 people tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the infection rate to 5.2 percent, according to ministry data. There are currently 14,104 active COVID-19 cases in the country, 107 of which are considered serious, according to the ministry.

The city of Beitar-Illit, which has seen a sharp rise in new infections in recent days, was declared a restricted zone on Wednesday, and closed to incoming and outgoing traffic for seven days, from July 8 to July 15, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

International media outlets have taken note of the rising number of coronavirus cases in Israel and are running headlines questioning why Israel is seeing a “second wave” after seeming to get the pandemic under control, and warning other countries to take heed and learn from Israel’s mistakes.

This is a sharp contrast to how Israel was being discussed in the foreign media a few months ago, when the Jewish state was praised for its success in keeping the pandemic in check.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Palestinian Authority announced it was extending the lockdown in P.A.-controlled territory until next Sunday following a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases. More than 4,570 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the P.A. and 17 have died, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.