The departure hall at Ben Gurion Airport on January 25, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
A legal adviser to the Population, Immigration and Border Authority has accused political figures, including an aide to Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, of illicitly intervening in the work of the government’s Exceptions Committee on numerous occasions in order to allow their associates into the country, as well as absolve them from mandated stays in quarantine hotels.
In a letter to Ariel Yaakobi, chairman of the National Union of State Employees, published Friday by Channel 12, Meir Asraf requested assistance in clarifying to politicians that such behavior is unacceptable and possibly illegal.
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A technician collects nasal swab samples for COVID-19 testing at Ben-Gurion International Airport on February 28, 2021. (Yossi Aloni/Flash90)
The number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients in Israel dropped to its lowest point since December 30 on Tuesday, according to Health Ministry figures. New deaths and infections continued to decline since highs in January.
The ministry said there were 704 active serious cases, including 265 classified as critical and 226 patients on ventilators.
Serious cases peaked in mid- to late January with over 1,900 patients, with the number steadily falling since.
The drop in serious cases comes alongside Israel’s world-leading vaccination campaign.
The Health Ministry said Tuesday evening that over 4.8 million Israelis have received their first vaccine dose, or over half of the population, and over 3.4 million have received their second dose.
While serious cases are decreasing, downward trend in infections has halted, prompting officials to call into question further steps to reopen the economy