LIVEBLOG: Israel's Beitar Illit put under lockdown as infections soar
Private sector slams new rules, blames leadership for 'losing control over epidemic'
The lockdown on Israel's Beitar Illit has gone into effect Wednesday at 1 pm (Israel Summer Time) after a surge of coronavirus cases in the city was identified by the Health Ministry.
The decision follows a slew of new restrictions ordered by the government in the battle to curb the second wave of infections continuously rising over the past several weeks.
Event halls, clubs, bars, gyms, swimming pools, cultural shows were ordered shut as well, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
However, the government alleviated some of the restrictions on restaurants, capping hosting capacity at 20 in each room, instead of in the entire venue.
Social gatherings are permitted up to 20 people and houses of worship up to 19.
Government services and private sector companies are required to limit work capacity at the office to 70 percent, sending 30 percent of employees to work from home.
The Ministry of Health reported that 1,148 new COVID-19 cases
The Ministry of Health reported that 1,148 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in the country over the past 24 hours.
At least 141 patients are hospitalized in serious condition, with 48 of them on respirators.
Israel: Three more lawmakers enter self-isolation
The Israeli lawmakers had to go into-self-isolation Friday after exposure to confirmed COVID-19 patients.
The list includes Nir Barkat, a member of the Likud party, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tehila Friedman, a parliamentary with the Blue and White party led by Defense Minister and ALternative Prime Minister Benny Gantz, and Aida Touma-Sliman of the predominantly Arab Joint List.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that Orna Barbivai, a lawmaker with the Yesh Atid party, was also forced to self-isolate.
Israel shutters 5 cities as cases hit new high
France uncovers 'massive fraud' of coronavirus wage payouts
The Paris prosecutor's office said Friday that it was investigating "massive fraud" across France by people falsely claiming temporary wage assistance for employees laid off during the coronavirus lockdown.
As the crisis hit, the government quickly introduced a system to pay around 84 percent of net salary for people no longer able to work.
Thousands of firms applied for the payments, allowing millions of people to avoid a sudden drop in revenue -- in the first month alone the programme paid out some 24 billion euros ($27 billion).
But officials soon began noticing suspicious similarities in some applications, in many cases by people who surreptitiously used the tax registration numbers of firms that had not applied for the funds.
Kazakhstan denies China's claim of new deadly virus
Kazakhstan on Friday denied a claim by China's embassy that a pneumonia outbreak more deadly than the novel coronavirus is rampaging through the Central Asian country.
In an alert for Chinese citizens posted on the embassy's website Thursday, Beijing warned of a disease with "a mortality rate far higher than COVID-19".
The statement said the pneumonia outbreak had caused 1,772 deaths in the first half of 2020 and "628 in June alone".
The statement originally referred to "Kazakhstan pneumonia" but this wording was later changed to "non-COVID pneumonia".
Israel: Opposition lawmaker enters self-isolation after aide tests positive for COVID-19
Orna Barbivai, a lawmaker with the opposition Yesh Atid party, and her staff have entered self-isolation after an aide tested positive for COVID-19.
The lawmaker is set to stay in isolation until July 21.
Bolsonaro says he feels 'very well', praises hydroxycholoroquine
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has tested positive for COVID-19, said on Facebook Thursday that he was "very well" and again advocated the use of the controversial drug hydroxychloroquine.
Bolsonaro, 65, appeared in his weekly Facebook Live post at his official residence. He appeared to be in good shape and was not accompanied, as is often the case, by ministers or senior officials, and the usual sign language interpreter was not present.
Since the beginning of the crisis, the far-right president has dismissed the seriousness of the epidemic and criticized containment measures ordered by governors in Brazilian states.
Israel registers 1,464 new coronavirus infections, total climbs over 35,000
Israel registered a record 1,464 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, Health Ministry reported Friday morning, with the cumulative total of coronavirus cases in the country climbing over 35,000.
With almost 28,000 tests done in the past 24 hours, the positive test ratio appears to have surpassed the 5 percent mark for the first time in the recent uptick of new cases.
With one new fatality, the death toll in the country hit 350. Thirty-nine patients are intubated, and 124 are in serious condition. The total number of active coronavirus cases in Israel stands at 16,651, Health Ministry said.
IDF Chief of Staff goes into two-week virus quarantine
Israel Defense Forces Chief of General Staff Aviv Kochavi will go into isolation for two weeks after being in contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient, local media reports.
On Wednesday, an entire IDF battalion entered quarantine after dozens of soldiers attended a birthday pool party thrown by a fellow fighter who had contracted the respiratory virus.
Iran hits record one-day virus death toll of 221
Iran reported a new single-day record death toll of 221 from the novel coronavirus on Thursday, after weeks of rising numbers in the Middle East's worst-hit country.
"Unfortunately in the past 24 hours we have lost 221 of our compatriots to the COVID-19 disease," health ministry spokeswoman Sima Sadat Lari told a televised news conference. "The death toll has now reached 12,305."
The Islamic republic has been struggling to combat the outbreak since announcing its first cases in February.
"The number of (new) cases identified (since Wednesday) is 2,079," Lari said, bringing the total number of infections to 250,458.
Global coronavirus infections total climbs over 12 million
The global total of confirmed COVID-9 cases climbed over 12 million, an online tracker run by Johns Hopkins University showed Thursday, with the global death toll approaching 550,000.
The US is by far the worst-hit country in the outbreak, with a total of 3,055,144 confirmed infections.
Over the past few days, the country has been consistently reporting over 50,000 new cases every day, setting several new daily records -- including on Wednesday, when some 62,000 new infections were reported.
Beit Shemesh mayor lashes out at lockdowns
In an interview with the Army Radio, Aliza Bloch, the mayor of Beit Shemesh, a town near Jerusalem, lashed out against lockdowns imposed by central authorities, saying they only "increase the number of infections."
She called for more power to be given to local authorities rather than having Jerusalem set the rules for every locality.
Israel registers 1,262 new coronavirus infections, death toll rises to 346
Israel registered 1,262 new COVID-19 infections over the past 24 hours, the Health Ministry reported Thursday morning.
The figure comes on the back of 27,527 tests conducted throughout the day, suggesting a 4.59 percent positive test ratio.
With two new fatalities, Israel's total death toll in the pandemic is now at 346. Some 115 patients are in serious condition, including 41 who required intubation. The overall number of hospitalizations in the country is at 412, with the cumulative total of confirmed cases approaching 34,000.
Israel: Jerusalem Affairs Minister quarantined after aide contracts coronavirus
Israel's Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Peretz, former member of the right-wing Yamina bloc, has entered self-isolation after one of his advisors was confirmed to have contracted COVID-19.
Peretz is cited as saying he is feeling well and will soon be tested himself.
Israel: New restrictions on public transport kick in
New restrictions on public transport in Israel came into effect Thursday, with buses set to operate at 50 percent of maximum capacity.
Windows are to be kept open, with air conditioning on.
Most of the buses, with the exception of routes servicing train stations, will cease to operate after 10 pm. During rush hours, key routes will see more buses in operation to offset the limit on the number of passengers on board.
Pompeo sees progress in reopening travel with EU
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday he saw progress in reopening travel with the European Union shut by the coronavirus pandemic but offered no timeline.
The European Union declined to include the United States, where COVID-19 cases are rising, in a safe list of nations whose nationals can visit the bloc.
Pompeo said the United States and European Union were discussing "procedures and protocols" to put in place to resume travel.
"We've made some real progress -- technical progress -- and now we need to draw that to a conclusion," Pompeo told a news conference.
Israel's death toll hits 344, total cases climb over 33,000
Israel's death toll in the COVID-19 pandemic reached 344 Wednesday evening as the Health Ministry revealed the updated figures.
With 632 new cases registered throughout the day thus far, the number of active infections in the country is now at 14,516 as the cumulative total reached 33,175.
The number of new infections registered on Tuesday was revised to 1,348, with 28,143 tests done, suggesting a positive test ratio of about 4.8 percent.
Shin Bet seeks reassessment of controversial patient tracing program
Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief Nadav Argaman is set to meet senior Israeli officials Wednesday to review a controversial patient tracing program.
As Israel took on COVID-19, the domestic security agency was authorized to use its surveillance tools to trace the whereabouts of confirmed COVID-19 patients and send those they could have come in contact with into mandatory quarantine.
However, the past days saw a flurry of complaints of inaccuracies, with Israelis saying their location was traced incorrectly, resulting in an unwarranted quarantine, and Jerusalem facing a lawsuit from those alleging Shin Bet made a mistake.
Brazil's Bolsonaro says 'doing very well' after testing positive for coronavirus
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said Wednesday he was "doing very well" after announcing Tuesday that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
He said he was now feeling much better and ascribed the progress to taking hydroxychloroquine, a drug touted by US President Donald Trump as a possible treatment for coronavirus patients.
Hydroxychloroquine's efficiency is yet to be decisively proven, with the drug pulled from WHO testing in early June after a major study found it to be inefficient; later on, tests continued as the study was withdrawn by its authors due to concerns over the data used.
In early July, another study credited the drug with slashing mortality rates among hospitalized patients.
Gantz orders military to convert more hotels into quarantine centers
Israel's Defense Minister and Alternative Prime Minister Benny Gantz ordered the military to convert up to three more hotels into coronavirus quarantine centers within the next 48 hours.
According to a statement by Gantz's office, one of the new centers is supposed to be specifically aimed at the ultra-Orthodox population.
Out of the 12 facilities available currently, half are earmarked for ultra-Orthodox citizens, whose communities have been badly affected by the virus.