Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein held a live press conference on Tuesday night warning of lifting the nationwide lockdown too soon.
Currently, the lockdown is set to expire on Friday morning but the prime minister and senior health officials are recommending that it be extended through Sunday night in the wake of the still-high morbidity rate and the high number of seriously ill patients. Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz has been opposing Netanyahu and senior health officials on the issue, insisting that restrictions begin to be lifted.
Netanyahu said that if the lockdown is extended by three days, then another 200,000 people will have received their second vaccine doses and be protected against the virus.
On the other hand, if the lockdown is lifted, millions of Israelis will flock to stores and family gatherings, Edelstein said.
“If we lift the lockdown before the end of the week, Friday will become known as ‘Black Friday,'” he said.
Netanyahu said that Israel’s goal is to vaccinate 90% of Israelis over the age of 50 in the next two weeks. Currently, 77% of Israelis over 50 have been vaccinated, leaving over 400,000 Israelis in the age group still vulnerable to the virus.
“This is what is challenging our health system,” Netanyahu said, explaining that 97% of virus deaths and 93% of seriously ill patients are from the 50-and-over age group. “The vaccination drive is our key to lifting the lockdown,” he said.
The Health Ministry confirmed 7,919 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday morning, with tests indicating a 9.3% positivity rate. There are currently 1,074 seriously ill patients, of whom 292 are ventilated. The death toll has risen to 4,888.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Benny Gantz has been opposing Netanyahu and senior health officials on the issue, insisting that restrictions begin to be lifted One thing all wise people have learned:- Whatever Gantz says, do the opposite, and shall be doing well.
Can somebody please explain why the government thinks that its job is to force people to be safe? If people of any age can stay home and people of any age can get the vaccine, why force a lockdown? let people do their own risk assessment and let my people go.
somejewiknow – the government is responsible for making sure that the hospitals don’t become overcrowded.
somejewiknow,
Great question. I think there should be no more traffic signals.
@somejewiknow, it’s a similar argument why there are seatbelt laws, and limits on smoking age (and even tax cigarettes as a disincentive). They save us from ourselves, and this is ethical because it saves lives and people make poor decisions otherwise. There’s also an economic argument. Our taxes pay for much of the healthcare system, so they (we as a society) have decided that it’s cheaper to prevent neck injuries, lung cancer, and similarly ICU stays. These are statistically preventable. Let’s save ICU’s for less-preventable stuff.