Number of daily coronavirus infections in Israel tops 2,000

The number of daily new coronavirus infections in Israel has breached 2,000 for the first time in a month, the Health Ministry said on Friday.

On Thursday, 2,068 new coronavirus cases were recorded, the Health Ministry said.

The last time numbers breached the 2,000-mark was on July 28, when 2,129 new cases were recorded.

Numbers in Israel were relatively low at the beginning of the pandemic due to a strict government stance, but an early easing of restriction in May caused the caseload to spike, with numbers recently stabilising around 1,650 new daily infections on weekdays.

Case numbers, however, started climbing again in recent days.

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Schools in Israel are due to open on Tuesday with some coronavirus restrictions in place, although the government’s goal had initially been to get daily numbers below 400 before the end of the summer holidays.

Health officials are also concerned about contagion during upcoming Jewish festivities in September.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein recently urged people to refrain from family gatherings during the feasts.

“This year we need to be careful,” he said.

In total, Israel has recorded 111,493 coronavirus cases and 891 fatalities related to the virus.