Netanyahu: It’s now an order, don’t leave home
People only allowed outside to buy food, medicine or see doctor • Infected Israelis now at 677
The Health Ministry guidelines to fight the spread of coronavirus will no longer be recommendations or requests. Rather, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday night, the government will sign existing restrictions into legally enforceable orders, as he declared a national state of emergency.
Going forward, for the next seven days, whoever breaks these orders will be subject to fines.
“There has not been anything like this since the establishment of the state,” the prime minister said. “There has actually been no such thing like this in the last 100 years.”
“It is not going to be easy; I am asking for your cooperation.”
In general, the new orders include that Israelis are not allowed to leave their homes unless “absolutely necessary.” Visiting parks, beaches, pools, libraries and museums is prohibited, as are all social interactions. Work that can be done from home should be.
Currently all “essential” services will remain open, including supermarkets, pharmacies and most medical services. In addition, while Israelis are encouraged to work from home, employees who need to travel to work will be able to do so.
The announcement came on the backdrop of the largest spike in the number of infected Israelis: 677, according to the Health Ministry. At press time Wednesday, 433 Israelis had been diagnosed with
SARS-CoV-2 – an increase of 244 patients in one day.
It is estimated the number of people infected with the virus will rise significantly in the wake of the increase in the number of tests that are now being conducted. Until now, around 2,200 tests have been conducted daily with the goal of reaching as many as 5,000 tests.
Government hearings in recent days have revealed a significant gap between the Health and Finance ministries. The Health Ministry has been demanding increased restrictions but the Finance Ministry said it fears further restrictions would cause a serious blow to the economy.
In remarks, which were delivered shortly after the prime minister’s address on Thursday night, director-general Moshe Bar Siman Tov said that the public must follow these orders for three reasons: To push off the spread of the virus; to reduce the total number of Israelis infected; and to flatten the curve for the coronavirus.
He said the government is “buying precious time” to acquire much needed safety gear and treatment equipment, to staff-up hospitals and increase the number of
hospital beds available to treat potentially critically-ill patients.
Minutes after the briefing, the Defense Ministry announced that it had purchased 2,500 ventilators at the cost of more than NIS 50 million. The first machine will arrive in Israel by midMay.
On Thursday, an additional Israeli was listed in critical condition – bringing the total to six – but the majority of those afflicted, 644, have mild symptoms, the ministry said.
Thirteen Israelis are in moderate condition and 14 have recovered. So far, 47 Israelis are being kept in hotels set up this week by the IDF Homefront Command.
The military on Tuesday dubbed the fight against the virus “Operation Sunbeam,” and will see commanders enforce the regulations set by the Health Ministry to avoid crowds. To ensure that orders are being followed by troops, several surprise reviews have been conducted in 40 bases across the country.
Troops will also work in shifts known as “capsule systems,” especially those in essential units, which will see all troops per shift remain completely separate from the other. Troops will also be asked to refrain from taking public transportation; as such, the military will provide buses in which no more than 25 soldiers will travel at a time.
The military has also been working in conjunction with Magen David Adom (MDA) rescue services and has established a call center, a national emergency portal, blood drive with a goal to obtain at least 7,000 units of blood, and logistical help for the drivethrough test centers and the quarantine hotels across the country and more.
The IDF’s elite 81 Intelligence Technology Unit is also working with MDA, various hospitals and the Health Ministry on technological aspects, including producing face masks for health care providers and 50 vans with internal separators to protect drivers from infected patients, as well as information management software for laboratories testing for the coronavirus.
According to the IDF, the unit is aiming to produce some 1,000 masks per day, with 400 masks having already been delivered to medical professionals. In a bid to support health care providers, hundreds of female soldiers will also support medical professionals by caring for and teaching their children.
The IDF will also help test Israelis for the coronavirus, along with crews from MDA. Some 100 crews will begin travelling to the homes of Israelis across the country who are suspected of carrying the virus.
The IDF said that the holiday village at Ashkelon of “Yahad – United for Israel’s Soldiers” will be converted into an inpatient facility for soldiers who have been diagnosed with the virus. It will open as early as Friday morning, managed by the military’s Medical Corps.
Police have already been working to stop civilians from breaking quarantine, opening 92 cases against people who allegedly violated quarantine instructions by the Health Ministry. One man was arrested three times after he continued to break his quarantine.
The impact of the recent restrictions has already given a major hit to the Israeli public, as thousands of Israelis have been sent on unpaid leave.
The National Insurance Institute said 95,600 people registered for unemployment between Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Thursday at 8 a.m. – almost 7,000 per hour.
Since the beginning of March, around 400,000 job seekers have registered for financial assistance: 86% of those who applied for financial assistance were sent on unpaid leave. More than half of those applying (53%) were men.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry on Thursday called on all Israelis abroad to return to Israel as soon as possible due to countries closing their borders and canceling all their flights as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
“Due to reduction and cancellation of flights all over the world and the decision of many countries to close their skies and borders due to the coronavirus outbreak, we call on all Israelis abroad to come back to Israel as soon as possible,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
The ministry added that even though tickets are hard to come by and some routes are uncomfortable, there are still aviation companies flying. For the convenience of those seeking to return to the country, the ministry compiled a list of possible ways to leave the countries.
MK Moshe Abutbul (Shas), the former mayor of Beit Shemesh, became the fifth MK to be quarantined on Thursday after he and his son were in contact with a technician at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem who was diagnosed with the virus.
Abutbul joined ministers Arye Deri (Shas) and Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud) and Blue and White MKs Ram Ben-Barak and Alon Shuster in quarantine.
In contrast, Shalva Dahan, the last patient in hospital at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, who had been quarantined on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship docked off of Japan, was released, a spokesperson for Sheba said. Dahan had spent 28 days in an isolation room at Sheba after she was diagnosed with the coronavirus upon her return to Israel. More than 700 of the ship’s 3,700+ passengers caught the virus, and at least seven have died.
Worldwide, nearly 215,000 people have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus and close to 10,000 people have died. However, on Thursday, for the first time, China reported no new domestic cases.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report. •