September 14,2020
Beginning Friday, the start of the Jewish High Holiday season, schools, restaurants and hotels will shut down, among other businesses, and Israelis will face restrictions on movement.
With new infections running as high as 4,000 a day, Israeli ministers on Sunday approved a three-week nationwide lockdown over the upcoming Jewish holidays to contain the resurgent coronavirus outbreak.
The lockdown, bitterly opposed by many sectors of the workforce, and castigated by the opposition as proof of government failure, will take effect at 2 p.m. on Friday, hours before the start of Rosh Hashanah.
Speaking at a press conference, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that under the restrictions, Israelis will be limited from traveling more than 500 meters from their home except for essential needs like food and medicine. Schools will be closed starting Friday, and businesses and public sector employers will face strict limitations that he did not specify.
Supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential businesses will be allowed to remain open and deliveries will be allowed.
Israel has had more than 150,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and more than 1,100 deaths.
Given its population of 9 million, the country now has one of the world’s worst outbreaks. It is now seeing more than 4,000 daily cases of the virus.
Israel earned praise for its initial handling of the coronavirus outbreak, moving quickly to seal the country’s borders and appearing to bring infections under control.
( Source : The Times of Israel )
