Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuAmos Ben Gershom/GPO

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday held a series of professional discussions on the continuation of steps to deal with the coronavirus crisis vis-à-vis procurement and acquisition, and preparations ahead of a lockdown.

Prime Minister Netanyahu instructed that preparations be made for a significant tightening of the restrictions on movement so as to further reduce the number of people outside their homes in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The Finance Ministry will formulate a plan to further reduce work. The Prime Minister directed that enforcement be stepped up at supermarkets and at pharmacies in order to ensure the maintaining of safe distances, disinfecting and strict adherence to Health Ministry instructions.

Prime Minister Netanyahu noted that if there is no improvement in the rate of infection in the next two days, there will be no alternative but to impose a lockdown.

The new plans to tighten restrictions on movement will be presented to the Prime Minister and ministers over the next 48 hours.

An economic discussion on a comprehensive economic assistance plan will be held on Saturday night.

The ministers of Finance, Health, Defense, Energy, Interior and Public Security, as well as the head of the National Security Council, the Attorney General, the Governor of the Bank of Israel, the acting Commissioner of the Israel Police and the director generals of the Health and Finance ministries, and the Prime Minister's Office, along with other officials, participated in the discussions.

Meanwhile, the number of deaths from the coronavirus in Israel rose to 12 on Friday afternoon, following the death of two people at the Wolfson and Rambam hospitals.

The number of cases in Israel now stands at 3,035 - an increase of 540 cases diagnosed in the last day. 49 of them are in serious condition, 60 are in moderate condition and 79 have recovered. A 45-year-old patient with no background illnesses is in serious but stable condition at the Wolfson Hospital in Holon.

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)