Israel’s Coronavirus Cabinet will meet Monday to deliberate on an exit strategy from the ongoing nationwide lockdown.
While the lockdown is tentatively scheduled to end next week, the government is widely expected to extend many of the restrictions imposed in late September.
The exit strategy will be based largely on the trend in the infection rate.
Sources close to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu have hinted that he is interested in first tightening the lockdown further during the remaining days of the Sukkot festival, before loosening the restrictions slightly starting next week.
If the decline in the infection rate continues, the government is expected to begin loosening the lockdown starting October 15th, next Thursday.
According to a report by Israel Hayom, the first step likely to be taken to loosen the lockdown will be the reopening of preschools, kindergartens, and possibly elementary schools.
After that, offices and work places which do not feature large gatherings – like event halls – will be allowed to reopen, along with a partial reopening of public transportation,
On Sunday, Netanyahu released a video message in which he urged Israelis to be patient with the lockdown, calling for 10 more days to see how effective the restrictions are at reducing the infection rate.
“Now, there are those who are already saying that they are cautiously optimistic that the lockdown is already beginning to work, to flatten the growth curve. I am more cautious than the cautious. I want to wait until at least ten days have passed."
"This means that the decisions on the continuation of the lockdown, after Simchat Torah, we will only make on Thursday. In the meantime, tomorrow in the Cabinet we will discuss long-term coronavirus exit data, the transition from stage to stage, safeguarding the older population, bigger fines and increased discipline and enforcement, because this is in our soul."