Despite one of the world’s fastest vaccination drives, Israel is confronting a surge in coronavirus cases and opting to restrict daily life – and implore people to stop kissing.
“The public is called on to understand the situation and, therefore, to stop shaking hands, embracing and kissing,” read a government advisory published late on Wednesday.
Israel’s government has announced it would slowly reintroduce the mandate to wear face masks, which was dropped entirely in June.
From Sunday, masks must be back on for those attending outdoor events with more than 100 people. They are already required on public transport and other indoor spaces, though enforcement of the rules in recent weeks has been lax.
The latest rules come as Israel registers thousands of new coronavirus cases a day, coupled with a rise in deaths.
Health ministry data show 30 people have died from the disease in the past week, out of a population of nine million, compared with zero deaths over the same period a month ago.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has blamed the sharp rise in infections on the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant.
“We are seeing a great magnitude of infection around the world,” he said at the start of the Cabinet meeting on Sunday.
As a result, the government is trying to turn the tide on vaccination, which has slowed in recent weeks because nearly 60 per cent of the population has received two doses.
“We are in a race between the rate of immunisation and the rate of infection,” Mr Bennett said.
Israel has also tightened border controls, although no changes have been made with travel to the Palestinian territories.
Only eight per cent of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have received two vaccine doses, Palestinian health ministry data show. Israel has provided vaccines to Palestinians with Israeli work permits.
Mr Bennett’s government has, meanwhile, forged ahead with administering third doses in Israel to some adults.
The move has been followed by “a very big wave” of new vaccinations, according to Ido Hadari from healthcare provider Maccabi. About half of those eligible for the third shot registered within a matter of days, he said.
“The number of the positive cases and news about a fourth lockdown and new restrictions, etc, it brings back the sense of urgency and the fear of the disease,” the Maccabi spokesman said.
The number of seriously ill patients shot up from less than 30 a month ago to 235 on Wednesday, according to the health ministry.
The figure remains far lower than the peak of nearly 1,200 in January, when Israel was in its third nationwide lockdown.
Ami Neuberger, head of the coronavirus department at Rambam hospital, which serves northern Israel, said treatment is far easier now.
“The vaccinated people are becoming much better much faster. So, fewer need mechanical ventilation, intensive care,” he said.
Dr Neuberger, an infectious diseases specialist, said he broadly supports the government’s “balanced” approach.
“They are trying to do everything, falling short of a complete lockdown,” he said. “I would do the same.”
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tomorrow 2021
The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte
Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000
Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm
Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm
Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km
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Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
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1.
2.
3.
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5.
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Tomorrow 2021
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
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Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
FIXTURES
All games 6pm UAE on Sunday:
Arsenal v Watford
Burnley v Brighton
Chelsea v Wolves
Crystal Palace v Tottenham
Everton v Bournemouth
Leicester v Man United
Man City v Norwich
Newcastle v Liverpool
Southampton v Sheffield United
West Ham v Aston Villa
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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The End of Loneliness
Benedict Wells
Translated from the German by Charlotte Collins
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The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
COMPANY PROFILE
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Tomorrow 2021
MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
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The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Towering concerns
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Results
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
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Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
