The Knesset plenum on Tuesday evening approved the second and third readings of a bill to enshrine in law the government powers to fight the coronavirus pandemic, including the sanctioning of people in violations of quarantine and penalties for failure to wear a mask.
10 MKs supported the bill in its third reading with no objections.
The three-month period allowed by law for emergency regulations expired on Monday, meaning that before the approval of the law, there was no legal enforcement of regulations prohibiting or restricting social gatherings, quarantine measures, temperature checks at the entrance to public spaces and stores and the wearing of face masks.
The chairman of the Constitution Committee MK Yaakov Asher (United Torah Judaism), who presented the proposal, said, "Of course, it is clear to everyone that where there is an emergency, we accept regulations and decisions made by the government, but our job is to try to reach a state in which there will be a framework for epidemics in general."
MK Yoav Segalovitz (Yesh Atid) attacked the legislative process, saying, "There were only members of the opposition who voted in the committee in favor of the law. This is carelessness on the part of the coalition members, and on the part of the ministers. This is indicative of the way they see us and this institution. We did not vote for the government's law but for the law we created in the committee. We did not change the law but created a new law."