Prof. Ronni Gamzu admitted in an interview with the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, to be published in full today, that he was taken aback by the latest data In coronavirus contagion, with yesterday's figures showing a rise of over 3,000 in the number of new cases."Things change, and when I see such a rate of infection in the Arab and haredi sectors, I have to take an adult and responsible position," he said. "As soon as I saw Wednesday's data, I asked where this was coming from. I was taken aback - such an increase of almost 50% from Ine day to the next really did not conform to the estimates."Gamzu added that "I was extremely concerned, especially regarding the haredi community, because in recent weeks we had been seeing a lot of success there, with a lot of hard work, a lot of cooperation. And it all came at the same time as the reopening of schools too."

Prof. Hezi Levy, deputy director-general of the Health Ministry, told Reshet Bet this morning that he is particularly concerned as winter approaches that the country will be facing influenza and coronavirus at the same time."As we get closer to winter and the flu season, we're likely to see massive overcrowding in the hospitals," he said. "Imposing a full lockdown is what achieves the quickest results in bringing infection rates down, but In the other hand, it has consequences for all of us."He added that, "There's no magic wand. Even when we impose pinpoint lockdowns, it has to be accompanied with giving a lot of assistance to the affected populations."

Speaking this morning In Reshet Bet, deputy Education Minister Meir Porush (UTJ) sharply criticized the decisions made yesterday by the government's coronavirus cabinet to impose lockdowns In "red" areas, pointing out that, "If they decided that we need a lockdown, why wait till Monday?"According to him, "When someone comes along from the health sector and says that there's a high rate of infection in the haredi community, he's not revealing any great secret. It should have been obvious that when Ine person in a family contracts the virus, ten more get it too, because we have large families. That's why things should have been dealt with differently."

Extreme temperatures expected over weekend as Magen David Adom warns of potential dangers.

Border Police forces have broken up a huge wedding that was taking place in east Jerusalem, in the Sur Baher neighborhood.Several citations were issued to people not wearing face masks. The bridegroom himself was detained for questioning and then released with restrictions.

This week the Torah teaches us the key ingredient to living our lives and serving G-d, without it, everything else falls apart

In new book, former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Trump administration.

British actor Robert Pattinson has tested positive for COVID-19, causing production in Britain In the set of his film "The Batman" to pause, US media outlets reported In Thursday.Warner Bros. (T.N), the Hollywood studio behind the movie, said in a statement that "a member of "The Batman" production" had tested positive for the coronavirus, but did not give a name. "Filming is temporarily paused," the Warner Bros. statement added.