Israel Shuts Schools Again as Teachers Pupils Covid19 Cases Spike

Israel has hurriedly shut down its schools after barely 3 weeks of resumption.

Authorities took the decision following an alarming spike in new cases of the disease from the schools.

Not less than 357 teachers and pupils tested positive compelling the government to shut schools on Sunday, the 12th of July being the first working day in Israel.

Children and teachers in isolation caused confirmed positive cases to skyrocket to 17,500 within 12 hours.  Most of the new cases were from a high school in Jerusalem which recorded 148 positive cases.

Israel was one of the countries that implemented strict lockdown measures at the onset of the pandemic. Unfortunately, it soon eased the locked down leading to the latest development.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had declared partial victory in early May considering the relatively low record of deaths. He therefore urged citizens to go to restaurants and “enjoy yourselves.”

Israeli schools were reopened mid may followed by hotels and most outdoor leisure destinations included swimming pools, restaurants and beaches.

The beaches witnessed a large turnout of people who defied government health guidelines including social distancing and wearing of face masks.

The country’s Health Ministry reports that #COVID19 has caused 297 fatalities out of the total recorded cases of 17,783. 15,064 were successfully managed and discharged while 29 remain in critical conditions. 23 patients were on respirators as of 13th July, 2020.

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