Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to the Israeli public on Motzei Shabbos about the spike in coronavirus cases in Israel.

The prime minister said that it is too early to know whether the sharp increase in new cases in recent days is a trend but that Israelis have been “celebrating that the coronavirus is over…but that’s not the case.”

“As long as there is no vaccine for the virus, it will come back and spread if we don’t strictly adhere to the rules. If we don’t there will be no choice but to go back to restrictions on the economy and public,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister added that he has instructed Public Security Minister Amir Ohana to step up enforcement of social distancing regulations and warned that the government will act against any businesses that don’t adhere to health ministry regulations.

שידור חי! ראש הממשלה בנימין נתניהו, שר האוצר ישראל כ"ץ, ושר החינוך יואב גלנט בהצהרות לתקשורת. https://t.co/Iw8GcGlpZ5

— ראש ממשלת ישראל (@IsraeliPM_heb) May 30, 2020

Netanyahu also addressed the fact that the coronavirus is not influenced by the warmer weather, mentioning the high number of cases in countries with colder climates, including Sweden and Belgium. “If we don’t keep the rules, the virus will strike again,” he warned.

Education Minister Yoav Gallant also spoke and announced that schools are re-opening on Sunday except for schools with outbreaks, and safety measures will be tightened to prevent further outbreaks.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)