Israel’s coronavirus Cabinet is meeting on Thursday to discuss imposing closures on areas with high rates of infection.
According to Channel 12, the areas under consideration include Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, Ashdod, Beit Shemesh, Ramle, Lod, Yavne, Ra’anana, Modi’in Illit and Kiryat Malachi.
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.
Meanwhile, a series of new countrywide restrictions went into effect on Thursday, including a reduction in the number of hours that buses will be running and lowering passenger capacity by half.
By Thursday morning, Israel’s COVID-19 death had risen to 346, with 41 patients on ventilators and 15,209 active cases, according to Health Ministry data.
