Home Current News Israel considers renewed lockdown ahead of Jewish High Holidays as coronavirus surges

Israel considers renewed lockdown ahead of Jewish High Holidays as coronavirus surges

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Israel considers renewed lockdown ahead of Jewish High Holidays as coronavirus surgesIsrael’s cabinet on Thursday moved towards a near-complete nationwide lockdown to address its world-leading coronavirus outbreak ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, a prospect likely to enrage Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox allies. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein had proposed a total lockdown as new infections nearly surpassed 4,000 in a single day this week. But the cabinet instead considered the recommendations of Israel’s coronavirus czar, Ronni Gamzu, who suggested closing schools, restaurants, malls, outdoor markets and venues after Rosh Hashanah — Jewish New Year — next week. The lockdown would likely affect the important fast of Yom Kippur and the festival of Sukkot. Israelis traditionally hold large family gatherings and attend synagogue services at this time, but officials are desperate to drive down surging infection rates. It is not the first time that a senior minister has threatened a full lockdown, but the extreme increase in infections has led many Israelis to believe that this time the government is serious. The move came as Chezy Levy, the director general of Israel’s health ministry, warned that hospitals risked being overwhelmed. “We are beginning to see congestion in the hospitals and staff are talking about very great difficulty in providing the best care,” he told Israel’s Army Radio. “We will have to take on more severe restrictions, which will affect our way of life,” he added. Israel was initially lauded for its swift response to coronavirus in March, when the borders were sealed off and tough lockdown measures were imposed on citizens. The Israel Defence Forces, the nation’s conscript army, were deployed to distribute food packages to vulnerable people, such as the elderly, so they did not need to leave their houses. And in some severely affected neighbourhoods, mobile phone surveillance was used to track the movements of suspected virus carriers. But after a period of relative calm, which prompted the government to ease restrictions and reopen the economy, the virus returned in force and the rate of infection rose steeply through the summer. This week the government targeted some 40 of the worst-affected areas with new restrictions including curfews, limits on public gatherings and school closures. The measures mostly affected Arab and ultra-Orthodox, or Haredim, communities, who have bristled at what they argue constitutes discrimination. “The entire Haredi public won’t forget the injustice carried out against it,” a group of mayors from ultra-Orthodox cities and towns wrote in a letter to Mr Netanyahu this week. “The decisions you made, time after time, were made with no regard for logic or health benefits, and were clearly aimed at the Haredi public. We consider you the only culprit for these punitive measures.” Infection rates in ultra-Orthodox communities have been disproportionately high. The ultra-Orthodox tend to live in poor, crowded neighborhoods where sickness can quickly spread. Synagogues, the centerpiece of social life, bring men together to pray and socialise in small spaces. Lack of internet use also hindered public education, though officials have since turned to religious leaders and car-mounted loudspeakers to spread the word. In a video aimed at the ultra-Orthodox population, Mr Netanyahu attempted to ease their frustration over the restrictions. “You know how much I care about Torah study and prayer. These are things that are important to me just as they are important to you. And with that I say we need to take steps that prevent the spread of morbidity,” he said. Last week, a study by John Hopkins University found that Israel now has the highest rate of infections per capita in the world. According to the study, the average number of new cases per day in the week to September 2 was 199 per million people.

Source: yahoo.com/news