Preparations are underway for Israel’s elections for the 23rd Knesset on Monday. A reinforced police presence on Election Day of over 18,000 police officers, Border Police and volunteers along with thousands of civilian guards will be deployed at about 10,840 voting stations at over 4,100 locations nationwide on Election Day.

Special preparations were also made in by the Jerusalem municipality to encourage voters who may want to stay home on Election Day to avoid crowds out of a fear of the coronavirus as well as boost Jerusalem businesses, which reportedly suffered a decline in revenue during the election period.

The Jerusalem Municipality is providing free ice cream on Election Day to anyone who spends 20 shekels in any Jerusalem store. Israelis in Jerusalem (residency in Jerusalem not required) on Election Day can present their 20 shekel receipt to a list of participating ice cream stores and receive a free ice cream, courtesy of the municipality. The stores include Katzefet, which has many stores throughout Jerusalem including several Chareidi neighborhoods, as well as Mousseline (Rechavia, Machane Yehuda), Metudela (Rechavia), Cookie Cream (Machane Yehuda shuk), Selfy’s (Mechane Yehuda shuk), and Glida Metuka (Har Chomah).

The free ice cream is also a play on the Israeli phrase of “Third time, ice cream!” – an expression used in Israel when someone encounters a friend for a second time within a short period of time – the one that says “pa’am shlishit glida” get treated for ice cream the next time they meet.

פעם שלישית גלידה🍨🍨🍨
הצעה לוועדת הבחירות: שימו מכונות גלידה בקלפיות
לפחות תמתיקו לנו את הטרחה המיותרת ותכניסו קצת חגיגיות והומור ביום ההזוי הזה …ואולי זה יעלה את אחוזי ההצבעה…. pic.twitter.com/dqbdorsNoX

— gila yair (@gilayair) February 23, 2020

Although Monday’s elections are the third elections in Israel within a year, they will be unique due to the coronavirus crisis. The Central Elections Committee published a list of the isolation voting booths it has set up for the 5,630 Israelis currently in quarantine due to returning from countries with outbreaks of the coronavirus or having had contact with someone who was later diagnosed with the virus.

Israel’s Health Ministry announced that those in quarantine may vote in the special booths as long as they do not have symptoms such as a cough, fever, or breathing difficulties. They must arrive at the booths by private vehicle, cannot stop anywhere else on the way and should not park in public garages.

At the voting stations, those in line will enter one at a time wearing a face mask and latex gloves and sign a statement that they are voting in a booth for quarantined individuals. Each pen will be discarded after use.

Since no volunteers were willing to work at the isolation booths, the booths, which will be open between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. will be manned by MDA EMTs.

Jerusalem: Former Transportation Ministry, Uman Street 7
Safed: Police station, Galilee Street 1
Jezreel Valley: Construction Ministry, Eliezer Kaplan Street
Haifa: Transportation Ministry, Edison Street 2
Netanya: Elections Committee, Stadium Street
Tel Aviv: Elections Committee, Klausner Street 14
Tel Aviv: Elections Committee, Magen David Adom Station, Yigal Alon 60
Holon: Transportation Ministry, HaLohamim Street 1
Beersheba: Elections Committee, HaEtzel Street 2
Ashkelon: Elections Committee, Ben-Gurion Boulevard 37
Eilat: Eilat Municipality, northern complex of the old airport
Rosh Ha’Ayin: City market, parking lot on Joshua Ben-Nun Street
Modi’in: HaShdera HaMerkazit 5, Modi’in Maccabim-Re’ut
Kfar Saba: Kfar Saba Municipality, Levita Stadium, HaPoel Kfar Saba Way

The director-general of the Health Ministry, Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said on Sunday afternoon that Israelis should not be afraid to vote on Monday. “The polling stations in Israel are safe and it’s safe to go vote. We have a list of those in quarantine (5,630) and we’re in direct contact with them. The situation is under control.”

משרד הבריאות בהודעה מרגיעה לציבור: "הקלפיות בישראל בטוחות וזה בטוח ללכת לבחור. יש לנו רשימה של מבודדי בית (5,630), ואנו נמצאים איתם בקשר ישיר". מנכ"ל משרד הבריאות, משה בר סימן טוב, אמר כי האירוע בשליטה, ושאין הדבקות מקומיות@diklaaharon pic.twitter.com/U0zDbmnCNx

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 1, 2020

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also said on Sunday that “we are amidst a worldwide coronavirus crisis but there is no country that has prepared better than us. Everyone can go vote without worry. The virus is under control.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)