Ministers convened for an urgent meeting: Will synagogues, restaurants and beaches be closed?

July 16, 2020   

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the limited ministerial forum for an urgent discussion this morning (Thursday) - following the sharp increase in coronavirus cases. This is the university that allows you to study from anywhere and at any time convenient for you. The discussion is being attended by Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein, Finance Minister Yisrael Katz, and Science and Technology Minister Yizhar Shai. The National Security Council recommends imposing a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people anywhere and in any situation, without any exceptions. In addition, the closure of synagogues, all educational institutions, beaches, gyms, restaurants and bars, all dining rooms without exception, reducing public transportation and the reception of the public in government institutions, and more. Restaurants are now allowed to only issue deliveries, and colleges are allowed to only hold online classes. The government is expected to meet in the evening to approve the restrictions. This comes after more and more voices have been raised in the government in recent days to tighten the restrictions, to the point of a complete closure.

According to a report in Kan News, senior officials at the Health Ministry are expressing support for imposing a lockdown at night and on weekends, as a measure to prevent the continued rise in the number of cases. The idea was raised by Science and Technology Minister Yizhar Shai at a meeting convened by the Prime Minister on Tuesday with ministers, experts and other officials, and the issue of a partial lockdown is now under discussion.

It appears that the nighttime curfew will be imposed between 9:00 PM and 6:00 AM. Its purpose is to prevent nighttime gatherings, while maintaining proper economic conduct in the economy during the day. It is currently not yet clear which workplaces will be allowed to operate during the curfew hours, and who will be the exceptional cases that are more likely to move during these hours, and the issues are still under discussion.

The Director General of the Ministry of Health, Prof. Hezi Levy, said this morning in an interview on Galts: "I will advocate tightening the restrictions in the discussion that will be held today, including preventing gatherings at all costs. A closure only on weekends is not a serious matter." The Ministry of Health announced this morning that in the past 24 hours, as of 9:00 AM, a record number of infections in Israel since the outbreak of the pandemic was recorded, with 1,898 new patients. The average daily tests for the week are 22,700 daily tests and the rate of tests per 100,000 people is 15,096. Yesterday, 28,064 tests were performed.