Israel braces for tougher lockdown restrictions

Israel, the first major country to impose a second nationwide lockdown, is poised to impose even tougher restrictions after the number of Covid infections approached 7000 per day. Some 6900 cases were recorded on Wednesday, according to Israel’s health ministry, while the total number of confirmed cases, including those who have recovered, stands at around 200,000 in a country of nine million people. Professor Ronni Gamzu, its coronavirus tsar, has criticised Israelis for failing to follow the rules required by the second lockdown.