JERUSALEM, Sept. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel will soon impose a full nationwide closure because of the recent jump in COVID-19 morbidity, the state's Interior Minister Aryeh Deri told Channel 12 TV news on Saturday.
Deri added that the Israeli government will decide on Thursday on a date on which the full closure will begin.
The daily number of new coronavirus patients in Israel has approached 3,000 recently, while the number of death cases has crossed 1,000 on Saturday, reaching 1,007.
Israel's COVID-19 project manager Ronni Gamzu said in a press briefing on Thursday that there is a lack of control over the pandemic spread in many Israeli cities and towns.
Before the full closure, on this coming Monday, Israel will impose local closures on places where the morbidity is highest, classified "red" as part of a new "traffic light" program.
In this program, all local authorities in Israel were classified into four colors, red, orange, yellow and green, according to morbidity level, in order to impose separate COVID-19 restrictions.
However, due to the jump in morbidity figures, the government intends to impose a full closure, including in the green places where morbidity is lowest.
"There is no escape from a full lockdown," Deri said in the television interview. "It is a terrible thing, an economic blow, but no one has been able to lower the numbers with any other method." Enditem
