Israel's tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the 300,000 mark, despite a recent decline in the daily count of new infections, Trend reports citing Xinhua.
Israel recorded 1,701 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, pushing the tally of COVID-19 cases to 300,201, marking a third consecutive day of decrease in the number of new cases, the Israeli Health Ministry said.
The decline came after 1,848 new cases were reported on Wednesday and 2,621 new cases on Tuesday.
The death toll from the coronavirus in Israel rose to 2,127, with 29 new fatalities, while the number of patients in serious condition slightly declined from 755 to 742, out of 1,304 patients currently hospitalized.
The total number of recoveries reached 257,226, with 5,515 new ones, while active cases dropped to 40,851, the lowest figure since Sept. 18, when the second nationwide was imposed to curb the virus' resurgence.
Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli special cabinet for handling the pandemic decided to ease a month-long sweeping lockdown, starting on Sunday.
The Prime Minister's office and the Health Ministry announced in a joint statement that the lockdown will be lifted gradually in Israel.
In the first phase, a restriction limiting residents to a 1,000-meter radius of their homes will be lifted. Kindergartens and businesses that do not attend clients will be reopened, while restaurants will be allowed to sell only take-away orders.
Gatherings of more than 20 will still be prohibited and local lockdowns are likely to be imposed on "red" cities with high morbidity rates, the Israeli government said.