Israel’s coronavirus cabinet on Monday night approved further restrictions in an effort to curb the recent surge in morbidity, with new daily cases almost doubling in the past two weeks, with the Health Ministry reporting the highest number of daily cases on Tuesday -1,837 – since October 10. There are currently 13,949 active virus cases, with 315 in serious condition and 107 ventilated. The death toll has risen to 2,924.
Coronavirus czar Prof. Nachman Ash, who noted that the results of any restrictions is only seen two weeks later, expressed skepticism about the efficacy of a curfew, saying Israel will soon reach 3,000 daily virus cases even if further restrictions are approved and about 7,400 daily cases in three weeks, according to the current rate.
“A nightly curfew only delays the inevitable,” Ash said. “Approving it is like declaring that we’ll be entering a full lockdown on January 2.”
Acting police commissioner Motti Cohen noted that police forces are lacking sufficient manpower to enforce a nationwide curfew.
Senior Health Ministry officials slammed the plan for a curfew, telling Channel 13 News that it won’t sufficiently decrease morbidity to the level needed and instead, businesses and schools in red zones must be closed.
Prof. Eran Segal of Weizmann Institute also criticized the plan, saying that “less than 10% of contacts [spreading the infection] happen at night.” He said that people will simply move Chanukah gatherings and weddings from nighttime to earlier in the day to avoid the curfew, accomplishing nothing and that instead of a nightly curfew, a crackdown is needed on large gatherings held in violation of current regulations – regulations which are currently not being enforced.
Prof. Hagai Levine, an epidemiologist at Hebrew University and Hadassah Medical Center, told Channel 13 News that the decision makes no sense, especially in light of the decision by the same cabinet to open all malls nationwide.
The curfew would go into effect on Wednesday, the day before Chanukah and continue until January 2. During that time, Israelis would be limited to a certain distance of their homes after 6 or 7 p.m. until early morning.
Along with the curfew, the ministers also approved the reopening of all malls, shopping centers, and open-air markets throughout Israel, following the successful pilot program, during which 15 malls were reopened under strict health conditions.
Another measure the cabinet approved is mandatory coronavirus testing for everyone returning to Israel from abroad. Anyone who refuses to be tested will be required to quarantine in a coronavirus hotel rather than at home.
The curfew is the first phase of a three-phase plan formulated by National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat to reduce coronavirus cases to less than a thousand a day. The plan calls for further tightening of restrictions, including the closing of businesses that accept the public, if morbidity does not decrease significantly by December 20 and daily cases increase to 3,500.
The third phase, to be imposed if morbidity continues to increase and daily cases increase to 4500, would be to impose a third nationwide lockdown.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
I HIGHLY doubt any increase in numbers. They decided long ago that they will introduce a seger on Chanukah. In fact, they are already discussing closing up for Purim-Pesach.
And btw acting police commissioner Motti Cohen should be fired as he does a horrible job training his officers. American police officers have a lot more respect for the ultra orthodox than the Israeli police. Shame.