New Restrictions for Coronavirus
The Second Wave of COVID-19 has ravaged the state of Israel, with the number rising to over 1000 new cases a day. These new numbers come as a shock to the Israeli reopening plan which began in May after Israel’s quick and effective handling of the first wave earned them the top ranking for public health safety from the data analytics group, “Deep Knowledge Group”. However, due to what many are calling massive governmental mismanagement of the pandemic after the first wave, Israel is in a worse place than they were in April. Now, the government is rolling back its plans for re-opening and closing or limiting the number of patrons for recently opened institutions.
New restrictions include the limiting of the number of restaurant patrons allowed indoors (20) and outdoors (30) at a time, the number of worshipers allowed to participate in religious services (19), and the number of people allowed at public gatherings (20), the number of people allowed on a bus at a time (20), and the number of government employees forced to work from home (30%). Additionally, the new restrictions include the closing of all summer camps for children over the age of 10 years old, the banning of audiences at public sporting events, and the complete closing of event halls, clubs, bars, gyms, public pools, and cultural events like theaters. Additionally, several neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, Lod, Ramle and Kiryat Malakhi will be placed in lockdown on Friday at 1:00 P.M. and stay in lockdown until the next Friday at 8:00 A.M. In addition, it was decided that an existing lockdown on three neighborhoods in Lod would remain in effect until Wednesday at 8:00 A.M., as it was set to expire on Friday morning.
As with the first wave, these new restrictions will mean further unemployment, particularly for the restaurant and entertainment industries, industries particularly outraged by the government’s lack of follow-through with regard to promises of stimulus packages for the industries. Shai Berman, CEO of the Israeli Restaurants and Bars Association, said in a statement that the government’s decision was essentially a “closure order for the restaurant industry in Israel,” and he estimated that 150,000 members of the industry would be unemployed. Similarly, the Cultural and Event Industry Action Committee said in a statement to the media that the government restrictions must come “alongside the promise and implementation of providing real financial compensation to 200,000 people who are at risk.”