Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the public on Monday evening and officially announced that the government is imposing a lockdown on Israel beginning on Tuesday.

“Out of a deep sense of responsibility, the government decided tonight to impose a general closure on Israel,” Netanyahu said. “From 4 p.m on Tuesday, you’ll remain in your cities and yishuvim.”

“Every family will sit at the Seder alone, with only your family that lives in your home,” Netanyahu stressed. “Certain neighborhoods of Jerusalem that we’ll be announcing later will have further restrictions. The lockdown will last until Friday at 7 a.m.”

“There’s more,” Netanyahu said. “On Wednesday, on leil Seder, each person will stay in their home from 6 p.m. until the next day at 7 p.m. We will stringently enforce the lockdown.”

Netanyahu then added that there are positive signs on the horizon regarding the rate of coronavirus infections of Israel “but it’s forbidden for us to become apathetic. If the trend in Israel continues, we’ll be able to ease the lockdown after Pesach. It depends on you, the citizens of Israel.”

Netanyahu explained that at the beginning of the easing of regulations, only people who are not at risk will be able to venture out. Those at risk will have to continue to stay at home at first.

Netanyahu also addressed the issues of tests, saying the government is intending to soon reach the goal of carrying out 10,000 tests a day.

Netanyahu also spoke out against the incitement against the Charedi community in Israel in wake of the high rates of virus cases in Chareidi cities and areas.

The prime minister said that he spoke with Bnei Brak Mayor Avraham Rubenstein. “He told me that he received countless encouraging messages from citizens, from all over the world. He said to me: ‘We have a wonderful nation. There’s no other nation like it in the world.”

“We’re embracing the residents of Bnei Brak like Italy embraced the residents of Lombardy,” Netanyahu said. “Our heart is with Bnei Brak like Italy’s heart is with Lombardy. But we also have another connection. Our heritage, our love, the fact that we have suffered so many travails, so  many challenges, so much suffering, more than any other nation in the history of mankind.”

“Chag Pesach eternalizes Yetziyas Mizrayim, overcoming challenges, overcoming crises, in every generation. I know that although this is a world crisis that the whole world is experiencing, I know we’ll get it through this together and transverse it successfully.”

“I would like to wish all of you, the citizens of Israel, with a Chag Pesach Kasher V’Sameach and I want to bless you that we’ll get through this together, and we will go out from isolation to freedom.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)