After reimposing a mask-wearing mandate in the wake of a renewed outbreak of COVID-19, the Israeli government is weighing additional measures, Kan 11 News reported on Friday.
According to the report, reducing gatherings and a testing obligation for non-vaccinated individuals who wish to take part in certain activities are among the measures being considered.
A senior health official clarified that the approach is not to let the virus spread any further, even at the cost of public scrutiny.
Following the rise in the number of cases, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has set a target of tripling the number of daily vaccinations, according to Kan 11 News. At the moment there are 10,000 vaccines being given per day, and the goal is to expand that number to 30,000.
Bennett, Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz and the heads of the health maintenance organizations (HMOs) are scheduled to hold a Zoom discussion on Saturday night on the topic of increasing the rate of vaccinations.
Just a week and a half after Israel terminated its mask mandate in almost all areas, the Health Ministry announced on Friday that it is reimposing the requirement to wear face masks in indoor public areas.
As with the previous mask mandate, the requirement will apply to everyone over the age of seven, unless they suffer from a verified medical condition or have a disability which prevents them from wearing a mask.
Masks will also not be required during indoor exercise activity, when a person is alone indoors, or when two workers are regularly assigned to work alone in a single room.
The new mask mandate comes following a series of outbreaks of the coronavirus across Israel, including hundreds of cases of the Delta or Indian variant of the virus.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)