Israel Enters its Second COVID-19 Lockdown
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announces new COVID-19 restrictions (Wikipedia)
The Israeli government tightened lockdown restrictions on September 24 after Israel’s COVID-19 cases soared to roughly 7,000 per day, one of the highest daily increases anywhere in the world.
Israel’s government took early action in the spring to contain the virus, resulting in a relatively low death rate. However, the government faced widespread criticism after easing its initial lockdown in May. Israel has now become the first developed country to initiate a second lockdown, which began on September 13.
At first, the new lockdown simply closed schools and limited travel to within 0.6 miles of homes with exceptions for work, essential shopping, exercising, attending religious services, and protesting. Synagogues could remain open, though they had to limit the number of worshippers inside. This week’s new measures, however, require the closure of all unessential businesses. Furthermore, synagogues must close except during Yom Kippur, and all gatherings, including protests and communal prayers, must not exceed 20 people. The new measures took effect on September 25 and will last until through the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, ending on October 11.
The new lockdown restrictions faced serious opposition from within the coronavirus cabinet, with Foreign Minister Ashkenazi and Economy Minister Perez, among others, speaking out against the harsh measures. The intense negotiations over the lockdown demonstrated the ongoing politicization of the pandemic, which sees Netanyahu’s Likud party facing off against the Blue and White parties.
Protests proved a particularly contentious sticking point in the deliberations, with White and Blue ministers accusing Netanyahu of imposing stricter lockdown measures in order to put a stop to the ongoing demonstrations. The large protests have taken on a distinctly anti-Netanyahu tone as they demand his resignation over his handling of the pandemic and other charges of corruption.
Netanyahu, however, defended the restriction of protests, noting that “[i]f we can leave home to demonstrate, then people will also be able to go to the beach and call it protesting.” He also struck out at accusations that the lockdown secretly aimed to disband protests and called these claims “ridiculous.”
Some cabinet ministers also argued that not implementing new lockdown measures wouldn’t have adversely affected the interests of public health. Foreign Minister Ashkenazi remarked that the new measures went against current recommendations, stating that “I hear the health professionals say there is no reason for a general closure.”
Following the announcement of the harsher measures, Israel's coronavirus czar Professor Ronni Gamzu joined the cabinet members in disapproval. Gamzu commented that Netanyahu's decision to impose a full lockdown “disgust[ed]” him. Gamzu also tied the tighter restrictions to the political climate as he mused that “everything started when legal opinions said protests cannot be prevented.”