Israel’s Health Ministry confirmed 812 new coronavirus cases on Motzei Shabbos, with test results reflecting a positivity rate of .2.1%. There are currently 419 seriously ill patients, of whom 182 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 2,523. The coronavirus cabinet approved a rollback of coronavirus restrictions on Friday, including the reopening of shuls for minyamin of ten mispallelim beginning on Sunday at 6 a.m. Minyanim of 20 mispallelim are allowed outdoors. Participants of any minyanim found to be in violation of restrictions will be fined NIS 500 each. Weddings and other simchas will also be allowed with up to ten participants indoors and 20 outdoors.

New York is now requiring travelers from non-neighboring states to get a coronavirus test before, and potentially after, they arrive in the state. New York for months had attempted to maintain a list of states with high COVID-19 infection rates, where travelers from those states would be required to quarantine 14 days upon arrival. It is now scrapping that effort. Instead, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday travelers from all non-neighboring states must test negative for COVID-19 no more than three days before they enter New York. Individuals arriving without proof of a negative test won’t be stopped from entering the state, but will be required to quarantine for 14 days.

A federal judge in upstate New York on Friday upheld the state’s restrictions on religious gatherings in coronavirus hot spots. The decision by U.S. District Judge Gary Sharpe in Albany followed two other similar rulings earlier this month that also refused to block Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s limits on areas in the state that are deemed COVID-19 hot spots. The rules limit indoor prayer services to 10 people in areas where the virus is spreading fastest. In other areas within hot spots, indoor religious services are capped at 25 people. The plaintiffs asking for the rules to be blocked include two Catholic priests who aren’t currently in virus hot spots, as well as several Catholic and Jewish residents of parts of New York that had been designated as such.

New Zealanders voted to legalize euthanasia in a binding referendum, but preliminary results released Friday showed they likely would not legalize recreational marijuana use. With about 83% of votes counted, New Zealanders emphatically endorsed the euthanasia measure with 65% voting in favor and 34% voting against. The “No” vote on marijuana was much closer, with 53% voting against legalizing the drug for recreational use and 46% voting in favor. That left open a slight chance the measure could still pass once all special votes were counted next week, although it would require a huge swing.

The Pennsylvania National Guard arrived in Philadelphia on Friday following days of protests, store break-ins and ATM thefts after a Black man holding a knife was shot at 14 times by police, killing him. The Guard is currently set to remain in the city through next week, officials said. Their mission is to help quell the unrest that began after the death of Walter Wallace Jr. on Monday. The mayor’s office said the city requested that the guard help with “the current situation and election preparation.” Wallace’s death led the mayor to lock down the city with an overnight curfew that was later rescinded. There were no large-scale protest during the last two nights, and it’s not clear if the city is considering additional curfews or restrictions in the coming days.

Israel’s Health Ministry published that 674 people tested positive for contracting the coronavirus on Friday. An additional 138 people tested positive from midnight until 4:00 p.m. on Shabbos. The numbers continue to decline, even two weeks after the lockdown ended. Currently, there are 419 people listed as being in serious condition in Israeli hospitals, among them are 182 people who are on respirators. The total number of fatalities as a result of the virus in Israel currently stands at 2,523. The Foreign Ministry of the Dominican Republic announced that they are considering the possibility of moving their embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday announced a new month-long lockdown for England after being warned that without tough action a resurgent coronavirus outbreak will overwhelm hospitals in weeks. On the day the U.K. passed 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases, Johnson made a sudden about-face and confirmed that stringent restrictions on business and daily life would begin Thursday and last until Dec. 2. He said at a televised news conference that “no responsible prime minister” could ignore the grim figures. “Unless we act, we could see deaths in this country running at several thousand a day,” said Johnson, who was hospitalized earlier this year for a serious case of COVID-19.

For all the drama around the 2020 election, one thing isn’t at stake: Democratic control of New York’s state legislature. But while the party isn’t in danger of losing its grip on Albany, Tuesday’s election could bring subtle shifts in a political landscape where Gov. Andrew Cuomo often calls the shots. Democrats could gain a veto-proof majority by winning just two more seats in the 63-seat Senate, which the party won in 2018 after decades of Republican control. New York would join California, Hawaii and Rhode Island as states where Democrats control the governor’s office and two-thirds of the seats in both legislative chambers.

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Schools in New York state’s “red zones” and “orange zones” will be allowed to resume in-person learning if they test all students and faculty members for COVID-19 first, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Friday. Cuomo on Oct. 6 announced that schools in areas deemed red zone “clusters” or orange zone “warning zones” would have to shift to remote learning for at least two weeks. In a teleconference Friday afternoon, the governor said the state has been working with schools in those zones to “try to find ways to keep people safe, but allow children to go to school.” “Basic rule is, before you open a school, all the people who go into the school, students or teachers, will be tested,” he said.