WarSclerotic

The number of active coronavirus cases in Israel continued to drop Saturday, with 4,886 current patients out of 16,444 cases identified since the start of the pandemic, and only three new cases diagnosed since Friday night.

Also notably, no new deaths had been reported over the past 24 hours, with the death toll holding steady at 245 since Friday morning. It was the first instance in which no new fatalities were seen in a 24-hour period since March 28.

Of those who are ill, 81 people were in serious condition, of which 65 were on ventilators, and 51 people were in moderate condition. The rest were suffering mild symptoms only.

Those who have recovered from the disease numbered 11,313.

With the number of new cases in Israel steadily dropping, Saturday night would mark two weeks since there have been more than 200 infections recorded in a 24-hour period, and one week where new cases didn’t exceed 100 per day.

Amid the sustained drop in infections, the government has increasingly rolled back restrictions meant to curb the outbreak, opening some schools and allowing many businesses to reopen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that all lockdown restrictions could be removed by the middle of June and the government on Monday canceled the 100-meter limit on Israelis traveling from their homes for activities deemed nonessential, as well as restrictions preventing people from visiting with family.

Malls, outdoor markets and gyms reopened Thursday morning after over six weeks of closure, with shoppers reported at shopping centers throughout the country.

Netanyahu warned, though, that Israel could have to reassess enforcing social distancing measures if there are more than 100 new coronavirus cases a day, a doubling of cases within 10 days, or over 250 people with serious symptoms in hospitals.

Israel’s National Emergency Authority fears a second wave of coronavirus infections and is calling on the government to use the relative lull in cases to prepare hospitals for a substantial increase in respiratory ventilation and treatment capacities.