Israel’s government decided on Thursday to backtrack on imposing restrictions over Chanukah, shooting down proposals to ban Israelis from visiting other people’s homes, close stores on Chanukah evenings or enforce a nightly curfew.
The Health Ministry’s proposed restrictions faced fierce opposition from a number of ministers and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz decided to delay further restrictions for the time being.
Instead, the government reached a decision to impose tight restrictions if the number of daily cases rises to 2,500 or the reproduction rate rises to 1.3. The tightened restrictions would continue for three weeks and be removed if the reproduction rate decreases to below 1. If the reproduction rate remains the same, a lockdown will be implemented.
There has been a sharp increase in new daily cases in recent weeks, currently averaging at almost 2,000 new cases per day.
Prof. Shuki Shemer, the director of Assusta Hospital in Ashdod, told Radio 103FM on Thursday that a third lockdown is inevitable. “The infection rate is rising and a third lockdown can no longer be avoided,” he said.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
I think whoever has the influence and connections here in the u.s. should try to put out a paper or other means of strongly warning the population of not having a Chanukah party with people that are outside of their household . Two weeks ago all the health experts warned it regarding lehavdil their parties.