Early Sunday morning, the Knesset approved eased restrictions announced by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Motzei Shabbos with some changes after spending hours arguing over the details in a telephone meeting beginning on Motzei Shabbos at 1:30 a.m.

A total of 19 participants will be allowed at outdoor minyanim instead of the 10 that Netanyahu mentioned as long as the mispallelim wear face masks and maintain social distancing regulations.

According to news reports, Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich pushed to increase the number of participants allowed in a minyan in consideration of small yishuvim which don’t have enough participants to form more than one minyan.

Weddings can be conducted in open areas and attended by up to 20 people and men’s mikvaos will be opened but there can be no more than three men at the mikvah at one time.

Anyone caught out in public without a face mask will be given a warning and will be fined NIS 200 if caught in public a second time without a mask.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)