Head of the Association of Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses, MK Keren Barak (Likud), has sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Health Minister, and Finance Minister, asking them to rethink the decision to shut down cafes and restaurants that seat their customers outdoors.
"We should be allowing for the option of permitting businesses that comply with certain criteria to remain open," she wrote. "We can formulate guidelines that businesses must abide by, and then permit these businesses to remain in operation, while strictly enforcing the law against those who do not adhere to the guidelines. In fact, regulations already permit closure orders to be issued to businesses found violating the guidelines," she noted.
"We should also be taking into account the fact that unlike in other countries, the percentage of cafes and restaurants in Israel that seat their clients outdoors is extremely high," she added, "making the likelihood of viral transmission very low."