Israel returns to full lockdown as virus outbreaks worsen
Israel went back into a full lockdown yesterday to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak that has steadily worsened for months as its government has been plagued by indecision and infighting.
The three- week lockdown, which began at 2pm local time ( 11am GMT), will require the closure of many businesses and set strict limits on movement and public gatherings.
The closures coincide with t he Jewish High Holidays when people t ypically visit their families and gather for large prayer services.
In an address late Thursday, pri me minister B e nj amin Netanyahu warned that even s t r i c t er measures may b e needed to prevent hospitals f rom being over whelmed. There are more than 46,000 active cases, with at least 577 hospitalised in serious condition. “It could be that we will have no choice, but to make the directives more stringent,” Mr Netanyahu said. “I will not impose a lockdown on the citizens of Israel for no reason and I will not hesitate to add further restrictions if it is necessary.”
Under the new lockdown, nearly all businesses open to the public will be closed. People must remain within one kilometre ( 0.6 miles) of home, but there are several except i ons, i ncluding s hopping for food or medicine, going to work in a business that is closed to the public, attending protests and even seeking essential pet care.
Israel has reported a total of more than 175,000 cases since the outbreak began, including at least 1,169 deaths. It is now reporting around 5,000 new cases a day – one of the highest per capita infection rates in the world.
Israel was among the first countries to impose sweeping lockdowns this spring, sealing its borders, forcing most businesses to close and largely confining people to their homes. That succeeded in bringing the number of new cases down to only a few dozen a day in May. But then the economy abruptly reopened and a new government was sworn in that was paralysed by infighting. In recent months authorities have announced various restrictions only to see them ignored or reversed even as new cases soared to record l evels. The occupied West Bank has followed a similar trajectory, with a spring lockdown largely containing its outbreak followed by a rise of cases that forced the Palestinian Authority to impose a tenday lockdown in July. More than 30,000 cases have been reported in the West Bank and around 240 deaths.
The Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli- Egyptian blockade since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, was initially insulated from the pandemic, but authorities detected community spread last month, and there are now more than 1,700 active cases in the impoverished territory of two million, straining its already fragile health system. At least 16 people have died.