Tel Aviv, 21 July 2021 (dpa/MIA) - New restrictions came into force in Israel on Wednesday in view of the rising number of coronavirus infections. The restrictions mainly apply to festival halls and gatherings of more than 100 people in closed rooms. From now on, only those who are vaccinated, those who have recovered or people with negative test results are allowed to participate in such events. The obligation to wear masks in enclosed spaces, which was temporarily lifted in June, is now in force again. The Israeli broadcaster Kan reported that hundreds of police officers were deployed in some areas to ensure that the new rules were observed. Violators will face fines: about the equivalent of 260 euros (306 dollars) for citizens who attend celebrations or gatherings of more than 100 people without a permit, and up to 2,600 euros for organizers who do not check vaccination certificates or test results according to the regulations. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Health said that 1,400 new cases had been reported within 24 hours. The Delta variant, which is considered particularly contagious, is mainly responsible for the new increase. Around 62 per cent of the country's 9.3 million residents have already received a first jab of the Covid-19 vaccine, and more than 56 per cent have also received the second dose. The number of seriously ill people has risen from 19 to 63 within a month. More than half of them have received at least one vaccination dose against the coronavirus, according to the Ministry of Health. In January, the number of severely ill people was still around 1,200.