Returning to a full lockdown remains an ‘option’, Israel’s most senior public health official warned on Tuesday as the country grapples with how to respond with its second wave of coronavirus cases.

Health Ministry director-general Chezy Levy said in an interview with Army Radio that: “A partial or complete lockdown are still options.

“Lockdown is a tool that can reduce morbidity; on the other hand, the price we’ll pay for a complete lockdown is clear to all of us,” he added.

Mr Levy also noted that Israeli decision-makers were considering ordering localised lockdowns of cities with high infection rates, similar to steps taken in the UK and Spain.

His remarks came after a Monday cabinet meeting in which the Israeli government discussed the possibility of introducing local lockdowns and weekend lockdowns, as well as a curfew.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement following the meeting that the government was “trying to avoid” a return to full lockdown.

The cabinet will vote on next steps at a meeting on Wednesday, after they are presented with a detailed plans drawn up by coronavirus tsar Ronni Gamzu.

Israel has one of the world’s highest infection rates per capita, but on Tuesday Mr Netanyahu said that the growth in new cases had plateaued. He warned however, that an uptick in the future remained a firm possibility.

According to the latest figures released on Tuesday by the Israeli Health Ministry, 1,672 new cases had been recorded since Monday morning, bringing the total since Covid-19 hit Israel to almost 75,000. 

Israel reported just over 24,500 active cases – with the death toll stable at 546.