As Israel continues to grapple with a soaring coronavirus infection rate, the government is considering declaring additional areas as “red zones,” with the health ministry reportedly demanding the following:

• A full lockdown of Modiin Illit including closure of its educational institutions, yeshivos and kollelim.
• A lockdown of five neighborhoods in Jerusalem: Ramot, Har Nof, Romema, Maalot Dafna, and Kiryat Sanz and the closure of educational institutions for age 9 and above and the closure of yeshivos and kollelim.
• The closure of all educational institutions in Bnei Brak, including yeshivas and kollelim.
• A lockdown of two neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh and closure of educational institutions for age 9 and above and the closure of yeshivos and kollelim.
• An extension of the lockdown in Lod and a lockdown of three additional neighborhoods in the city.
• A full lockdown of Ramle.
• A lockdown of two neighborhoods in Kiryat Malachi – Achuzot Rotem and Shechunos Chabad – and the closure of educational institutions for age 9 and above and the closure of yeshivos and kollelim.
• A deliberation on the extension of the lockdown of Ashdod neighborhoods.
• The increase of coronavirus testing in Ra’anana.

The only city currently in lockdown in Beitar Illit which was placed into lockdown on Wednesday. The lockdown on neighborhoods in Lod and Ashdod have expired although there is still a serious outbreak in those areas.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said on Thursday that he’s opposed to a lockdown of Jerusalem neighborhoods, saying that “a lockdown will turn the relevant neighborhoods into virus incubators.”

In a letter to Health Ministry Deputy Director-General Prof. Itamar Grotto, Lion wrote: “It’s important to emphasize: as differentiated from other cities, these neighborhoods in Jerusalem are neighborhoods where tens of thousands of people and large families live in crowded apartments, with hundreds of residents in each building. A hermetic closure will lead to a mass infection within the community and exacerbate the situation.”

Instead of a lockdown, Lion suggested: “to open designated command centers in the neighborhoods which will operate through the municipality and Home Front Command  and immediately evacuate every confirmed patient from their home within 24 hours to prevent the continuation of infection.”

Regarding the closure of yeshivos, Lion wrote that “sending tens of thousands of yeshivah bochurim home is liable to increase infections in a dramatic fashion At the present moment, there’s no way to check exactly how many confirmed carriers are in the yeshivos and many carriers would be sent to their homes where they would infect many families and bring about an extensive outbreak in the Chareidi sector. In light of the above, my recommendation is a tightening of the lockdown on all yeshivos gedolos for two weeks.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)