Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to increase the restrictions on the public amid the coronavirus outbreak as many Israelis maneuvered through the existing quarantine restrictions and took advantage of the comfortable weather on Saturday. Several videos on social media show that despite being told to only leave their homes for specific things, such as shopping for food or medicine, assisting the elderly or receiving medical attention, Israelis spent their Saturday outside, going mostly to beaches and parks.
— Neri Zilber (@NeriZilber) March 21, 2020
Despite expecting some Israelis to spend their day outside, Health Ministry officials were overwhelmed by the numbers of those who did and warned that stricter measures are inevitable if the public does not change its behavior. The Health Ministry was forced to send a message to the public requesting that they go back home. The message was written in Hebrew, English and Arabic. “The Ministry of Health advises the public to stay at home – the beautiful weather is not a reason to go outside,” the message read, adding Health Ministry’s Director General Moshe Bar Siman Tov’s statement, saying, “Don’t leave home. Follow the Health Ministry’s guidelines, otherwise we will find ourselves with a significant outbreak. I call on the public to stay home, whoever has gone out, please return home.”
Even though Health Ministry officials are demanding that stricter measures are taken, Netantyahu might only apply minor additions to the existing instructions. The prime minister is expected to hold a discussion with health officials to decide what measures will be taken.
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