Ministers decided to delay the night curfews on red cities until Tuesday as discussions continue around what cities will be on the list. Several of the cities that were expected to be named red have protested, on the same day that Israel hit a record for the percentage of people who tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
“As of last night, the Health Ministry has been holding consultations with the mayors in which a night closure was planned, in accordance with the decision of the Ministerial Committee on Declaring Restricted Zones,” the Health Ministry said in a statement Monday evening. “At the same time, throughout the day, the professionals in the office have been checking the data of these cities.
“In view of the length of the consultation proceedings, the closure will take effect starting Tuesday at 7 p.m. instead of this evening,” the statement continued. “The final list of cities will be published after the approval of the ministerial staff for restricted areas tonight.”
The Health Ministry reported on Monday that there were 2,257 new patients diagnosed with coronavirus on Sunday. Out of the 19,353 tests taken, the results for 12.2% were positive. This is the highest percentage of positive tests since the start of the pandemic.With the spike in infection, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked to postpone a Knesset discussion scheduled for Monday to discuss his government’s ineffectiveness at handling the coronavirus crisis. “Following the increase in morbidity and the worsening of the spread of the coronavirus across the country,” Netanyahu personally asked opposition leader Yair Lapid to push off the hearing. Lapid agreed and said it will take place another time. The new restrictions, which were approved by the Ministerial Committee on Declaring Restricted Zones late Sunday, were meant to go into effect on Monday at 7 p.m. and would have required businesses to shutter by 7 p.m. every day and forbid people from venturing more than 500 meters from their home between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.The education system would come to a halt, except for preschools and special education. Gatherings would also be limited to 10 people in closed spaces, and 20 people in open spaces. cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: ’36af7c51-0caf-4741-9824-2c941fc6c17b’ }).render(‘4c4d856e0e6f4e3d808bbc1715e132f6’); });Entering and exiting these cities, however, will be unrestricted.More than 900 people are hospitalized, including 476 in serious condition, among them 137 who are intubated.For perspective, on April 13, at the peak of the coronavirus crisis, there were 137 patients on ventilators.Some 1,022 people have died from the virus in Israel.There are 27,099 active cases of corona in the country. Since the start of September, close to 14,000 new patients have been diagnosed – an average of more than 2,000 new cases per day.The Health Ministry has also started publishing data about infection in the sickest cities, such as Jerusalem, which has had more than 20,000 coronavirus patients and still has more than 3,200 active cases. When looking at cases per 10,000 people, however, Jerusalem is not so high. The capital has 35 cases per 10,000 people, versus Bnei Brak with 67 and Beit Shemesh with 54. Arab cities have even more: Tira has 206 per 10,000 and Umm al-Fathm has 112.Looking at Jerusalem by neighborhood, the majority of cases are in Arab and ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods: Beit Hanina has 412 active patients, Ramot 301, Tzur Baher 161 and Shmuel Hanavi 115, for example.Most of these cities and several others were meant to be locked down Monday, but amid pressure from haredi (ultra-Orthodox) leaders on Sunday, Netanyahu reneged on a decision made the previous week by the coronavirus cabinet, saying that instead, some 40 “red” cities would be given “night curfews.”
THE GOVERNMENT pushed off passing coronavirus commissioner Prof. Ronni Gamzu’s plan for three weeks while infection spread throughout Israel. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that thousands of IDF soldiers will be sent to the 40 red cities across Israel in an attempt to lower the number of coronavirus cases in the country – once they are determined.
“As of today, I have ordered the placement of thousands of IDF soldiers and Liaison Officers to the Local Authorities in the red cities, in addition to activities for the “Alon” headquarters, which coordinates the work to cut the chain of infections,” Gantz said Monday while on a visit to the city of Kfar Kassem.
Gantz visited the Arab-Israeli city with one of the highest morbidity numbers along with Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Eyal Zamir and other senior IDF officers. The mayor of the city Adel Badir joined them via Zoom.
Praising the municipality for its cooperation with security and health officials, the defense minister said he hoped that other red zones would be just as cooperative to reduce the number of cases and deaths caused by the deadly virus.
“We did not come to punish, we came to work together,” he said. “I hope that other authorities are equally cooperative, along with the residents, and show discipline and responsibility and adhere to the guidelines – in particular [regarding] holding events which are the most likely place to get infected. I am telling everyone: It’s impossible to have regular weddings.”
Similar to the first wave, troops – who come from platoons in the midst of training – will not be armed and will help police enforce the lockdown by providing an increase in manpower.
The IDF’s “Alon” Coronavirus Command Center, led by Brig.-Gen. Nissan Davidi, operates at a national level to assist in breaking the chain of infections by improving the country’s testing capacity, while at the same time streamlining and connecting all the various government bodies and civilian organizations into one system operated by the Health Ministry.
AS TALK of closures continues, including the potential of a nationwide lockdown over Rosh Hashanah, Knesset Coronavirus Committee chairwoman Yifat Shasha-Biton said she feels that “there is no data transparency” and hence no justification for a lockdown.Speaking at Monday’s committee meeting, Biton said that, “for quite a long time, a general closure has been hovering over us, claiming that we are in an epidemiological reality that requires it.” But she said that the data she reviewed makes it appear like the increase in infection is rather small.”In the last week, there has been an atmosphere that we are heading for a catastrophe,” she stressed.Biton asked the Health Ministry for data on the deceased, accusing the ministry of including in the total “people who die for other reasons like accidents but were found positive for coronavirus and therefore are considered among the coronavirus dead.” Source
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