The Chief Rabbinate announced Wednesday afternoon that it is closing all synagogues until further notice, in light of the coronavirus spread.
The Health Ministry declared that the new guidelines would be valid for a period of seven days beginning at 5:00 p.m. today.
In a live Facebook video, Defense Minister Naftali Bennett (Yamina) emphasized the importance of following the new guidelines, and mentioned that coronavirus remains on surfaces for hours and days on end.
Praising the Israeli public for its general adherence to Health Ministry instructions, Bennett said: "The Israeli public has been remarkable in understanding the vital need to isolate, which is why I have a certain degree of optimism. But we're going to hunker down in coming days."
"Beware of elevator buttons, ATM buttons, because those are mass contamination surfaces. Use a tissue or the fold in your finger.
"I hope that after Passover we'll be able to open up but that depends on the phase of massive testing."