The Israeli government is set to meet Wednesday for deliberations on a new Health Ministry plan calling for a third comprehensive nationwide lockdown.
The Health Ministry is recommending that Israel impose a full lockdown in the coming days, similar to the two previous lockdowns imposed in the spring and fall.
The plan would bar Israelis from traveling more than one kilometer (0.62 miles) from home, except for essential needs, and would include a total closure of the education system, including kindergartens and preschools.
The lockdown drawn up by the Health Ministry would also force the closure of all non-essential businesses.
In contrast to the second lockdown, which was imposed this fall, the third lockdown would not be lifted, under the Health Ministry’s plan, until the number of new coronavirus diagnoses per day falls to under 1,000. In the previous lockdown, the criteria for ending the lockdown included having fewer than 2,000 new cases diagnosed per day.
According to estimates by the Health Ministry, if the lockdown is imposed now, it will take three to four weeks for the infection rate to fall to 1,000 new diagnoses per day. A senior Health Ministry official said, according to Israel Hayom, that if the lockdown is imposed after Israel reaches 5,000 new diagnoses per day, it will take five weeks to end the new lockdown.
It is unclear whether the government will adopt the Health Ministry plan, or instead choose to tighten various restrictions on public activity, without a full lockdown.
Earlier this month, the Coronavirus Cabinet balked at a plan to impose a partial lockdown during the Hanukkah festival, following a wave of criticism from both lawmakers and health experts.