The Ministerial Committee on the Declaration of a Restricted Area on Tuesday decided to authorize the military commander of the Judea and Samaria area to declare the municipal area of Beitar Illit as a restricted area for seven days, starting on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. and until next Wednesday. In light of the decision, entry to and exit from the city will be restricted, as will be traffic and business within the city itself. It was announced that the motion would be placed before the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee as soon as possible. Earlier, Beitar Illit mayor Meir Rubenstein sent a letter to Health Minister Yuli Edelstein after being told that officials are mulling imposing a lockdown on the area, expressing his objection to the move. "As long as there is no effective evacuation procedure, the closure would only increase the infection rate in the city,” he said. “The decision unmasks a terrible failure in the handling of the second wave."