As of Sunday morning, Israel will partially the second lockdown which was imposed in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Educational institutions for children up to the age of six will be opened, but about 120,000 toddlers and infants in supervised day care centers will remain at home, due to the short notice. Some local authorities have announced that they will not open the kindergartens.
In addition, Israelis will once again be permitted to travel more than one kilometer from home, and visit others’ homes.
Restaurants will be permitted to provide takeout services, the beaches and nature reserves will be opened, and gatherings of up to 20 people will be allowed in open spaces, and up to ten people in closed spaces.
The Coronavirus Cabinet stressed that the implementation of the relief measures could be halted at any stage, depending on their progress. If the weekly average of new cases exceeds 2,000, the lockdown could be tightened.
On Saturday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu held a press conference ahead of the easing of the lockdown.
“The decision to impose a lockdown was correct. I am pleased that I insisted on it this time as well; this lockdown is working. We had 8,000 new cases and we were on the way to 10,000 and more per day. Now we are under 1,500. We had 15% positive among those being tested; today it is 4.5%,” he said.
“I want to thank you, citizens of Israel, for your cooperation because this would not be happening without you. In the end, each and every one of you is what is decisive. But I say one thing, this time we are moving cautiously. We are exiting according to an outline that has been determined by health experts and the Health Ministry. There is an outline and we have gone according to it on every point, in regard to the ultra-orthodox public and the red cities as well, exactly what has been determined. I have not agreed to any change or any concession and I hope that this outline is indeed the right one. We have gone to the first goal, to the first stage.”
“I will convene the Corona Cabinet tomorrow or the day after and we will decide on the future. However, it is important to follow the rules. If we all follow the rules, then I am certain that this will work. Another thing, I have said that if it appears that it is not working, if it appears that we are going backwards, then we will have no choice but to retighten the restrictions.”
“Lastly, I would like to emphasize, I think that there is a reason for optimism today. I have told you that I already see the leading companies advancing toward a vaccine. You have heard about Pfizer. There is now a reason for optimism, even optimism that is slightly less cautious. We are working to obtain these vaccines for the State of Israel. We see the end but we need to reach it and do so united. So I ask you to follow the rules, wear masks and maintain distance. We will proceed together and we will overcome the coronavirus," concluded Netanyahu.