Israel to criminally indict Covid patients who violate quarantine

Tel Aviv, July 19 Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that "verified coronavirus patients who knowingly violate quarantine" will be criminally indicted and "dealt with to the fullest extent of the law".

Bennett made the announcement during a cabinet meeting on Sunday, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office.

The Attorney General Office and the Public Security Ministry are considering utilizing an app to track people on quarantine, Xinhua news agency quoted Bennett as saying.

The Prime Minister said his government aims to impose aggressive and efficient enforcement against violators, because "whoever violates the directives is endangering his health and the other citizens of Israel".

The Delta variant is "leaping forward around the world," making the implementation of new restrictions "a critical component in managing the pandemic in order to beat the mutation", Bennett noted.

Last week, Bennett said Israel can beat the outbreak without lockdowns, by increasing the number of vaccinated people, wearing masks indoors, and keeping social distance.

The Israeli Health Ministry has reported a steady rise in the number of infections, driven by the spread of the Delta variant.

The Ministry reported on Sunday a total of 6,622 active cases in the country, with 63 of them being in serious condition.

This increased the overall Covid-19 infection tally to 849,654, while the death toll stood at 6,443.

About 61 per cent of the country's 9.3 million citizens have been vaccinated with at least one dose and about 56 per cent with two doses.

Most of them have received the Pfizer vaccine.