Israel bringing back indoor masks

Israel is bringing back its indoor mask mandates as the country sees a rise in coronavirus cases, particularly from the Delta variant.

Coronavirus czar Nachman Ash said Thursday the indoor mask mandate will return next week along with encouraging people not to travel abroad, The Times of Israel reported.

“I call on the public to consider whether traveling abroad is essential. It is highly advisable to avoid non-essential travel abroad,” Ash said.

Israel has seen more than 100 new cases of COVID-19 on each of the past four days. 

The highest number of daily cases in months came on Thursday with 169, according to The Times of Israel.

Although Israel’s vaccine rollout has been one of the more successful, it is still off from the 80 percent needed to reach herd immunity. 

The Health Ministry says 26 patients in Israel are currently in critical condition from the virus with 84 percent of those getting seriously sick being unvaccinated. 

The highly contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India is showing up in an estimated 70 percent of the new Israeli cases.

The United Kingdom is also reporting its highest coronavirus case count since February with the Delta variant being a contributing factor.