Coronavirus Live: Netanyahu Vows to Step Up Enforcement of Regulations
Only schools with outbreaks set to close ■ Dozens of staff in two hospitals quarantined ■ Over 100 test positive for coronavirus Friday
Coronavirus
Coronavirus is a zoonotic virus that can pass between people and certain animals. A previously unrecognized form of the virus erupted among humans, in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and despite containment efforts by the Chinese, by February 29, 2020, more than 85,000 cases were reported worldwide.
>> Coronavirus tracker: Updating count of cases and deaths in Israel and worldwide
The novel species is named “SARS-CoV-2" and the disease it causes is called "COVID-19". Its origin in animals, mode of transmission and the rate of mortality it causes remain under investigation. The clinical picture of COVID-19 also remains under investigation: the range seems to be from asymptomatic infection to illness resulting in death. The most susceptible seem to be the elderly and anybody with a comprised immune system, diabetes or preexisting pulmonary disease. Although many coronaviruses originate in bats, the story that humans caught SARS-CoV-2 by eating bat soup are nonsense. The mortality rate remains unknown.
Despite Rise in Infections, Israel Decides Against Shutting Schools
Tel Aviv levies fines on 20 businesses, including restaurants and cafes, for violations of Health Ministry rules
Netanyahu Seeks Bill to Allow Extension of Coronavirus State of Emergency Until March 2021
The move would enable the government to extend movement restrictions on the public at any time during the next 10 months
‘Not Really Welcome’: These Interfaith Couples Wanted to Live in Israel. Now They're Living in Limbo
For Israelis with non-Jewish foreign spouses, obtaining a partnership visa is a bureaucratic headache at the best of times. So what happens when the country’s borders are closed? Haaretz speaks to three desperate couples to find out
Israel’s COVID-19 Experts: The Lockdown Saved the Country, but Steps Are Needed to Avert Another
Members of the government’s coronavirus team of 10 experts tell Haaretz why the drastic measures taken this spring were absolutely necessary
Aliyah in the Time of Coronavirus: Meet the Immigrants Who Moved to Israel During a Pandemic
Israel may have effectively shuttered for two months and required all arrivals to self-isolate for 14 days, but that didn’t stop these people from making aliyah. Next step? Furnishing the apartment
Travel Insurance to Be More Costly and Limited
It is not clear how and when the sky will reopen, but it is already clear that overseas travel insurance will become a much greater expense to consider when planning a trip
‘We Won’t Diagnose COVID With an iPhone. It Won’t Happen’
Serial medical entrepreneur Dr. Eyal Orion explains why knowledge-based medical startups matter more than digital health
When It Comes to Emergency Preparedness, Japan and Israel Have Something in Common
Beset by frequent natural and man-made disasters, Japan is a society in a constant state of anxiety, says Rotem Kowner, a professor of Japanese history and culture at Haifa University
South Korea Considers Reimposing Social Distancing After Spike in Coronavirus Cases
40 new cases confirmed on Wednesday in the biggest daily jump in nearly 50 days
Where U.S. Coronavirus Cases Are on the Rise
Alabama had the biggest weekly increase at 28%, Missouri's new cases rose 27% and North Carolina's rose 26%
Opinion COVID-19 to Hong Kong to Caravans: Is ‘Soros’ Now the World’s Most Versatile, Dangerous Conspiracy Theory?
George Soros, financier, Jew and donor to liberal causes, is the initial target of conspiracy theories bearing his name. But as both the hard left and right push the Soros slur, the repercussions are far wider and more damaging
France Bans Trump-touted Hydroxychloroquine to Treat COVID-19
U.S. President Donald Trump and others have pushed hydroxychloroquine in recent months as a possible coronavirus treatment
Biden Calls Trump 'Absolute Fool' for Not Wearing Face Mask
Biden's decision to wear a mask outdoors on Memorial Day at his first public event since March caught the attention of Trump
American Virus Deaths at 100,000: What Does a Number Mean?
And as the unwanted figure arrives — nearly a third of the global pandemic deaths in the first five months of a very trying year — what can looking at that one and those five zeroes tell us?
Israel Extends Security Service Tracking of Coronavirus Cases for Three More Weeks
Knesset subcommittee authorizes continuation of Shin Bet surveillance for the purpose of contact tracing
Analysis Netanyahu Had Little Choice but to Have China Lose Big Israel Bid
Israel thought it could navigate between the powers, but the coronavirus crisis has sharpened tensions, and Trump's reelection campaign is centered on blaming China
Analysis Why No One Can Explain the Drop in Coronavirus Cases in Israel
Policy decisions were based on contagion models developed by physicists and mathematicians ‒ not epidemiologists, and no one predicted the number of new coronavirus cases would in fact fall once the lockdown was lifted
Israel Okays Greater Return to Normalcy by Reopening Restaurants and Tourist Sites
Bars and pools also reopening, with all patrons required to follow restrictions ■ New virus case shutters Tel Aviv day care center
Cornavirus Takes a Toll on Europe’s Budding Jewish-tourism Business
‘I’m stuck. It feels like I’m drowning in quicksand,’ says one entrepreneur, as virus paralyzes sector throughout continent
Proposed Bill Would Abolish Benefit Cuts for Most Vulnerable Israelis Affected by Coronavirus
Tens of thousands had benefits cut despite the economic crisis, as Finance Ministry argued reversing the policy would impact motivation to work
Israel's Health Ministry Presented With Plan for Health Care Services in Second Coronavirus Wave
A proposal by second-largest HMO predicts that as many as 200,000 Israelis will require medical treatment for either the flu or COVID-19 this winter
Bolsonaro Brought in His Generals to Fight Coronavirus. Brazil Is Losing the Battle
Brazil now has the world's second-worst outbreak behind the United States, with more than 374,000 confirmed cases. More than 23,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19
French Restaurant Ruling Puts Coronavirus Insurance Claims on Global Menu
Court case could have insurance companies worldwide footing the bill for coronavirus disruption to hospitality industry
Analysis Moscow on the Jordan: Why Russia Is Eyeing the Palestinian Arena
Russia's apparent interest in Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not because it is concerned with resolving it
In Bolsonaro's Brazil, Everyone Else Is to Blame for Virus
Almost a month on, the death toll in the country of 211 million has more than quadrupled, to 22,666, and continues to accelerate
First Iranian Fuel Tanker Arrives in Venezuela, With No U.S. Interference
We are 'two rebel nations, two revolutionary nations that will never kneel down before U.S. imperialism,' Venezuela's Maduro tells Iranian leadership
Amid Coronavirus, Israel Seeks to Open More Treatment Facilities for Prostitutes Addicted to Drugs
Dozens of women working in prostitution seek help as they encounter difficulty obtaining drugs due to the pandemic ■ Israel currently has only one facility to treat women caught up in the cycle of prostitution
Israeli Economy Contracts at a 7% Annual Rate in First Quarter Amid Coronavirus Crisis
Bank of Israel says downturn for all of 2020 will be milder than its previous forecast but sees coronavirus impact lingering into 2021
For 12 Years They Waited for This Moment, and Then the Coronavirus Spoiled It
These Israeli students thought that their last year in the education system would be full of shared experiences, but then came a two-month lockdown