Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash on Tuesday evening announced that the quarantine period for Israelis with COVID has been shortened to seven days from ten, as long as they are asymptomatic for the last three days of the seven-day period. Ash said that a study carried out by the ministry on Omicron carriers showed that there was only a 6% chance that they were still carrying the live virus after seven days. The new policy goes into effect on Wednesday night at midnight. The policy follows many complaints by business owners that the huge amount of Israelis in lockdown due to carrying the virus or being exposed to it has created a de facto lockdown. Additionally, there is a shortage of staff in hospitals and other medical facilities as well as a shortage of soldiers in the IDF. Israel’s Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 37,887 cases, another all-time high. Prof. Eran Segal of Weizmann Institute estimates that the true number of daily cases is actually about 100,000, with many people not being tested due to shortages and PCR tests now reserved for high-risk groups only. The number of hospitalized patients increased to 700, with 247 seriously ill cases, of whom 59 are ventilated. Two additional fatalities were recorded, raising the death toll to 8,271. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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