Coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu said Thursday that Israel’s coronavirus infection rates were the highest in the world relative to population size, and warned that the country could face another nationwide lockdown if daily confirmed cases were not brought down to “hundreds” by September 1.
“Israel has the highest morbidity in the world per capita,” said Gamzu in a live-streamed briefing to reporters, saying the situation “cannot continue.”
It was unclear on what data the health official tasked with overseeing Israel’s response to the virus was basing this assessment, and whether he was referring to the overall rate or the rate of increase in recent weeks. According to various global rankings, including Worldometer, Israel ranks 16th to 19th in terms of cases per million people — behind the US, Gulf states and some Latin American countries — with all cases since the start of the pandemic tallied.
“The goal of the Israeli government is to reduce the morbidity to the level of hundreds of patients ahead of September,” continued Gamzu. “This is a very difficult task, but it is the goal. It is important not only for the health situation, but also for the economy.”
The virus czar also presented his color-coded system, under which cities and towns will see virus restrictions adapted to their local rates of infection. In “red” cities, he said, the highest level, schools may not open in the fall, he said, while “green” cities will see loosened restrictions on gatherings and outdoor events.
At Gamzu’s prodding, the government decided Thursday to cancel weekend closures on shopping centers, stores and markets that had been implemented to stymie the spread of the coronavirus, after establishing that the regulations weren’t driving down infection rates.