Israeli Government Extends 'Emergency' for Another Week over Pandemic

Today, Wednesday, the Israeli government approved a proposal submitted by the Minister of Health to extend the state of emergency in the country until October 13, 2020, due to the continuing surge in the  Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases.

According to the Israeli "Makan" radio network, the government decided to extend the special state of emergency for another week to impose more restrictions on demonstrations and holding mass prayers in places of worship.

The "Kahol Lavan" party, allied with the "Likud" party, in the governing coalition, decided to support this decision due to the difficult situation in the country.

An opinion provided by the Ministry of Health claimed that Israel is at the beginning of a decline in the number of infections, thanks to the tight health lockdown imposed through out recent weeks, but the percentage of these infections is still very high.

The ministry indicated that there are about 185 communities in Israel were classified in red or orange (which means the high or medium rate of infections)  and that the occupancy rate of beds in the special departments in various hospitals reaches 79%.

The Ministry of Health announced a general alert due to the Coronavirus and revealed that the army could put its hand on many civilian hospitals.