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Woman, 67, becomes 2nd Israeli death to corona

The woman suffered from “a serious preexisting medical condition,” the hospital said.

By World Israel News Staff

A woman, 67, died of the coronavirus on Tuesday afternoon in the Wolfson Medical Center in the city of Holon, south of Tel Aviv. She is Israel’s second death due to the deadly contagion.

She suffered from “a serious preexisting medical condition,” the hospital said.

Israel suffered its first coronavirus fatality on Friday. Aryeh Even, 88, was a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, who passed away at Shaare Zedek hospital in Jerusalem. He, too, had preexisting medical conditions, besides his advanced age.

Israel’s Ministry of Health said Tuesday the number of Israelis infected by the coronavirus soared to 1,656, with 418 new cases – an increase of 30 percent in just 24 hours.

Of those hospitalized, 31 are in critical condition and 47 others in moderate condition, a ministry bulletin said.

More than 70,000 people remain in mandatory two-week home isolation, having been in proximity to a virus carrier.

Israel’s government is debating whether to impose a full curfew to prevent an overload of its medical system.

Following a marathon series of meetings on Monday with health, public safety and defense officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped short of declaring an emergency and ordering a total curfew – a step Israel’s Health Ministry has been calling for to help curb the spread of the coronavirus.

If a full lockdown is imposed, only food stores and pharmacies would remain open, with residents restricted to going out only for supplies and otherwise remaining at home. People with pets would be allowed to walk their animals but only within 50 meters of their homes.

Israelis have been slow to obey increasingly restrictive regulations on their movements.

“It’s not a military state,” a senior police official told The Jerusalem Post. “We want the public to participate. If they act properly, then we will not need to intervene.”