Israel shuts down non-essential activity as number of patients jumps to 200. The country announced more stringent restrictions Saturday, limiting gatherings to 10 people and closing down education institutions and businesses such as gyms, pubs, and malls. Read more

Israel to use “anti-terrorism” digital means to track corona cases, says Netanyahu. While Israel has yet to announce the complete lockdown China enforced when the first infection cases started popping up in Wuhan, it seems to be taking a leaf from China and SARS-veterans like South Korea on another front: digital tracking and monitoring. Read more

Corona is slowing down, humanity will survive, says biophysicist Michael Levitt. Nobel laureate and Stanford professor Michael Levitt unexpectedly became a reassuring figure in China at the peak of the coronavirus pandemic. Now he assures Israelis: statistics show the virus is on a downturn. Read more

Israeli prime minister Netanyahu’s trial postponed as he ups domestic Coronavirus restrictions. On Sunday, the judges assigned to Netanyahu’s case decided to postpone his trial, scheduled to start Tuesday, to May 24, due to the new Covid-19 emergency regulations announced by Netanyahu and Justice Minister Amir Ohana the night before. Read more

Mid-pandemic, Microsoft Israel wants to hire 200 new employees. The company is recruiting software engineers, product managers, and data analysts, among others. Read more

Coronavirus prompts Israel’s national carrier El Al to suspend most routes. El Al will continue to maintain regular air service to New York, Newark, Toronto, London, Paris, and Johannesburg. Read more

List | Quarantined? These 6 startups will help you keep up with your studies from home. With the rapid global spread of coronavirus, making the classroom feel more like a petri dish, these Israel-linked startups offer solutions for remote learning. Read more

In other news…

Black gold: how one variety of dates took over a billion shekels industry. The Medjool date is the biggest, sweetest, most visually appealing variety of the fruit, and its rising popularity means more and more Israeli growers are uprooting more traditional, subtler types of palms to make room for the new king of the industry. Read more

This startup lets you take a bite of distant lands, one popular snack at a time. Tel Aviv-based CandyBandy develops an online marketplace for selling, buying, and exchanging exotic treats from around the world. Read more

Yandex’s Yango now welcomes independent taxi drivers. To date, the company worked with drivers only through taxi companies, but now it will offer all independent, unaffiliated drivers the option of working directly with Yango. Read more