'Save us!': Business owner protests COVID-19 lockdown
'Save us!': Business owner protests COVID-19 lockdownFlash 90

Almost two years after the coronavirus first made its appearance, the business sector is still trying to recover from the difficulties imposed by lockdowns and other government regulations; the tourism industry has been particularly hard-hit. Now, with the the discovery of the Omicron variant, businesses are once again fearful for their livelihoods, Maariv newspaper reports.

"There is concern among business owners that the government is about to impose new restrictions without allocating full compensation. We hope the economy will remain open with maximum activity and as few restrictions as possible. If restrictions are decided upon, we will fight for full compensation for business owners who are harmed," said Adv. Roi Cohen, representing the Chamber of Independent and Business Organizations in Israel.

He added that, "I'm already hearing about cancellations of flights and planned vacations abroad. We are following developments closely and apprehensively and hope that this time, business owners will not be the ones to pay the price. "

A senior official in the aviation industry also noted: "We have begun to recover from the crisis period, and Israelis are gradually starting to fly abroad again. Tourists were just starting to visit Israel - and now a new variant has arrived that set us back to where we were before."