The management of malls around Israel have decided to stage a rebellion, opening to customers despite the weekend lockdown and despite indications that they will be allowed to open legally by next weekend, Israel Hayom reported.
The lockdown goes into effect on Friday at 5:00p.m., and ends early on Sunday morning. It does not require citizens to remain at home, but forces the closure of various types of businesses.
The Stores and Malls Forum said: "Following the letter sent by the Stores and Malls Forum to Prime Minister [Binyamin] Netanyahu, to Alternate Prime Minister [Benny] Gantz (Blue and White], Ministers [Yuli] Edelstein (Likud) and [Yisrael] Katz (Likud), and Professor [Ronni] Gamzu, regarding immediately canceling the weekend lockdown, the Forum was told that all of the medical professionals involved in managing the plague recommended today to the government that the ban on stores opening over the weekend be canceled, due to the lack of logic inherent in it."
"It was also told to the Forum that the vast majority of Coronavirus Cabinet ministers support this, but due to pressure from the haredim in the government, they may succeed in delaying the decision until next week.
"In light of the fact that this issue has turned into religious coercion and it has no connection to attempts to stop the plague, the Forum has decided to instruct all shopping centers and stores which usually work on Shabbat (Sabbath) to open all their businesses this coming Shabbat, as they have in the past."