Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Wednesday evening that the country's exit from its second coronavirus lockdown could take up to a year to be fully completed.
"This time, the exit from confinement will be slow and gradual and could last between six months and a year," the premier asserted during a discussion with members of the so-called coronavirus cabinet, Channel 12 News reported.
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During the meeting, which lasted four hours without coming to a decision, different scenarios of morbidity rates were presented.
According to Channel 12 News, Netanyahu ordered to prepare for an "apocalyptical" scenario of 5,000 COVID-19 patients in serious condition during the coming winter.
He further instructed the healthcare system to reach a capacity threshold of 3,200 patients in mid-October.
According to a report presented to the ministers, the lockdown has yet to produce the desired results. "The ineffectiveness of the lockdown could be explained by the community spread taking place within households, but it is clear that an extension of the lockdown is essential," the report said.
The lockdown imposed just prior to the High Holidays was meant to run until Oct. 11, but the prime minister said it would be at least a month before a real easing of the restrictions could be felt.
In an overnight vote, the ministers agreed to extend the measure until Oct. 14, at which point another vote would take place on the matter.
The ministers also agreed to increase fines on violating lockdown directives to 500 shekels ($146).
According to the emerging exit strategy, every three weeks some restrictions would be lifted, in order to ensure the reproduction rate of the virus remains in check. A rate of 0.8% or higher – which means that each person could statistically be responsible for infecting another person in some scenarios – will result in the restrictions staying in place.
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Another metric would be the positivity rate – the percent of positive cases among the tests being carried out. The goal is to have a positivity rate lower than 5%, as well as to see a drop in the number of carriers who are in critical condition.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
