gym (illustration)
gym (illustration)istock

The government on Monday approved the immediate closure of the event halls, gyms, bars and clubs.

Beaches and parks will not be closed at this time, despite proposals by the Health Ministry and National Security Council in favor of closures. In addition, only 19 people will be allowed to pray together at synagogues.

During the meeting of the government, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned that the spread of the coronavirusvirus could force the government to return the country to a full, nationwide lockdown.

“We’re one step away from a full lockdown,” Netanyahu said.

"Today there are about 90 seriously ill patients, and that doubles every four days. If we do not act now - we will have hundreds, and possibly over a thousand seriously ill patients in the coming weeks, which will paralyze our [healthcare] systems," Netanyahu explained.

"Our focus is mainly on restrictions on people congregating in confined spaces. We must act. We will work and bring an economic coronavirus package very soon. These are the two steps that we need to take, protecting the public's health and preventing life-threatening situations, and providing economic aid measures," the prime minister added.

In the meantime, the government has approved a draft law which would apply any coronavirus restrictions immediately. The bill will be sent immediately to the Knesset for approval.