The coronavirus cabinet meeting that was cut short Thursday due to the announcement of an impending peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, reconvened Friday morning and established a set of uniform rules for gathering.
Going forward, up to 30 people can gather in an open space. In places of up to 80 square meters, 10 people can gather. In place over 80 square meters, 20.
The updated restrictions would apply to restaurants, synagogues and cultural events that are not approved for larger crowds by the Health Ministry.
Occupancy in places of business remains at one person per every seven square meters. Public places of business include malls, museums, shops, pools and gyms, for example.
Other rule changes the cabinet approved: Aides for people with disabilities can be considered “family members” and escort them. Also, delivery people can bring in deliveries to the homes of people with physician handicaps.
The approval of these decisions will be submitted to the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for approval. Unless the committee votes otherwise, the regulations will go into force on Sunday at 2 p.m.
The decisions comes against the backdrop of continual increasing coronavirus in Israel.
On Friday morning, the Health Ministry reported that 1,639 people were infected with corona on Thursday and another 344 since midnight. Israel crossed a coronavirus threshold, announcing that more than 90,000 people have had the virus since the start of the pandemic.
On Friday morning, there were 377 people in serious condition, including 110 who were intubated. Some 657 people have died.
While the cities with the highest rate of infection have maintained relative consistency – Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Modi’in Illit are numbers one through three – a new village, Yarka, has been named a red zone and the Health Ministry is requesting that the public not visit there.
There are 276 sick people in Yarka – some 136 who were diagnosed in the last week.
On Friday morning, the Health Ministry reported that some 2,500 residents had been screened and that several sick people were evacuated or being evacuated to a coronavirus hotel in Nahariya. At the same time, the village is imposing fines of NIS 5,000 on anyone who breaks the rules of gathering.
At the same time, the Health Ministry reported that there is a coronavirus outbreak in the outskirts of Petah Tikvah, in the city’s industrial zone, where about 150 foreign workers live.
The city’s mayor instructed authorities to cordon off the area and operate an outpatient clinic there instead. The residents will be tested over the weekend, the mayor said. The city is working in conjunction with the Health Ministry and Homefront Command.
During Thursday’s meeting, the head of the National Security Council once again recommended that Israel lockdown to more quickly stop the spread of the virus. Rather than vote in favor of the move, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested that coronavirus commissioner Ronni Gamzu formulate a plan for if the infection rate will not come down in the coming week.
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