The Finance Ministry, the Histadrut, and the heads of employers' and business associations have reached an agreement on compensation for employees obligated to enter quarantine and therefore absent themselves from work.
According to the agreement drawn up, the days spent in quarantine will be deducted from the employee's sick leave. The employee will forgo compensation for the first two days in isolation, and the government and the employer will split the cost of the remaining days between them.
Responding to news of the agreement, MK Mickey Levy (Yesh Atid) said the deal was "another nail in the coffin for businesses."
"Today, the government decided to continue its policy of strangulation with regard to small businesses. Doesn't the government realize that small and medium-sized businesses simply cannot stand up under the strain imposed upon them – this latest decision is likely to be the straw that breaks the camel's back," he said.
Levy also pointed out that given the current situation, people are likely to do anything they can to evade quarantine requirements, and there will be tremendous pressure on employers and employees alike, due to the requirement of employers to take money from their own pockets to compensate workers who are legally obligated to quarantine themselves.
"This is incredible chutzpah of a government that on one hand makes laws forcing people into self-isolation, and on the other hand refuses to accept upon itself the burden of paying for it," Levy said.
MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), head of the small and medium-sized business lobby in the Knesset, stated that the current government's policies are liable to lead to the destruction of the businesses he represents.
"We are living in the country that has broken all records in terms of the number of days people are spending in quarantine – and that's without taking into account this lockdown that deals a death blow to businesses," he said.
"Right now, instead of the government compensating workers who are forced to remain at home in isolation, it is demanding that small business owners provide a part of the compensation themselves. This failed leadership displayed by the Prime Minister is the cause of bankruptcies throughout the economy," he accused.