Prof. Ronni Gamzu
Prof. Ronni GamzuFlash 90

“We’re in an emergency situation,” Professor Ronni Gamzu, the government’s coronavirus czar told Radio 103 FM this morning. “Right now, at this minute, things are still under control, but that doesn’t mean that the situation isn’t extremely serious.”

Nonetheless, Gamzu insisted that he doesn’t have a complete closure of the country in mind. “From a purely medical standpoint, closing the entire country down is the most effective measure to take, but of course I am aware that there are severe economic consequences of taking such a step, and therefore I do not support it,” he said.

What then does he propose? “I appeal to the country’s citizens not to take the regulations lightly, not to ignore them, and not to remain indifferent to the crisis,” he said. “If we don’t manage to get the morbidity statistics down, we’re going to have 200 more seriously ill patients every single day,” he stressed. “And if that happens, we will lose control of the situation entirely – we must not reach that point.”

Asked what he suggested for Yom Kippur as regards public prayer, Gamzu responded that, “although we have an outline for what is permitted, I hope people will pray outdoors if at all possible.”