Netanyahu at coronavirus cabinet: Close the skies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for all noncitizens to be banned from entering Israel, during a coronavirus cabinet meeting on Monday morning, as infection rates continue to climb and a new coronavirus strain from the UK raises concerns around the world.

The meeting of the coronavirus cabinet comes amid rising infection rates: some 2,821 new cases were reported on Sunday, with 4.1% of tests returning positive.

Of those infected, 456 are in serious condition and 117 are on ventilators, according to a Monday morning update by the Health Ministry. The death toll stands at 3,101.

Netanyahu raised concerns that the new strain of the virus was spreading throughout the world and that it was still unclear what the consequences of the new strain are. The new strain is 70% more transmissible than the original virus, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Saturday.Coronavirus commissioner Prof. Nachman Ash told KAN news that while the strain has still not been detected in Israel, the Health Ministry is checking to see if the rise in infection rates in Israel is connected to the new strain.

“Since last night’s meeting, the mutation has been spreading in many countries and it is clear to us that we are at the beginning of a very rapid outbreak,” said Netanyahu during the meeting on Monday. “We need to reduce the viral mass entering the country as much as possible, while we are currently examining in England what exactly this virus is, whether the vaccine is resistant to it and other questions. To do this, I want to replicate what we did in the first wave of the coronavirus: close the sky as quickly as possible.””It is very worrying if a virus that we do not have a vaccine for spreads here,” stressed Netanyahu. “We may get a second coronavirus epidemic. It is better to see what happens, maximum we stopped a few flights.”

The prime minister called for all noncitizens to be prohibited from entering the country. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein stressed that it is unknown if there are Israelis carrying the new strain, but added that there is currently no evidence that the new strain is resistant to the vaccine. The National Security Council called for immediate measures to prevent the strain from getting to Israel and to require all Israelis to enter quarantine upon arrival to Israel.

If approved, the quarantine requirement would take effect in 48 hours.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev called for anyone who arrives from green countries in the next 48 hours to be allowed to do a test upon entry to Israel, stay in home quarantine for four days and then do another test and leave quarantine if it comes back negative. After 48 hours, all people who enter Israel would need to quarantine in coronavirus hotels.

Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz expressed support for Regev’s plan. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri called for the plan to extend the required quarantine for the next 48 hours to seven days instead of four days.”We must not forbid Israelis from entering the country for a week,” stressed Deri. “This should not be discussed at all in the government. The Jewish state must not prevent Israelis from entering the country. After all, if someone comes to Israel and is asked to go to hotels, people will not come to Israel. The placement of Israelis into hotels will in fact stop the entry into Israel.”

On Sunday, the cabinet approved new travel restrictions stipulating that until further notice, foreign nationals will not be allowed to enter Israel from South Africa, Denmark and the United Kingdom. In addition, Israeli citizens returning from those three countries will now be obligated to remain in quarantine at coronavirus hotels upon their return – unlike Israelis who return from other countries, who have the option to self-isolate at home.In addition to travel restrictions, Netanyahu called for a total lockdown to be implemented across Israel to fight rising infection rates, as the cabinet continued to disagree over what restrictions, if any, to impose. The cabinet had agreed to impose new restrictions if Israel surpassed 2,500 new cases a day or the reproduction rate (R) hit 1.32 – where every three sick people infect four more. While the R number is currently at 1.27, the daily number of cases has surpassed 2,500 multiple times in the past week.

Elad, Beitar Illit, Bnei Brak and the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem became red zones on Monday. Ashdod, Tayibe and a number of other neighborhoods in Jerusalem became orange. In total, 48 neighborhoods, towns and cities across Israel were red and 69 were orange as of Monday morning.

The Arab sector made up 30% of the total cases in Israel, while 16% were from the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector with the remainder being from the rest of the public.

On Sunday, Ash released a report predicting that, without any further limitations, between 1,340 and 1,900 people would be critically ill and between 3,085 and 3,700 would die in the coming month if nothing is done. He said that with a tightened closure for five weeks, there would be 800 critically ill and 1,250 dead; and with full closure for three weeks, there would be 700 critically ill and 1,100 dead.

The cabinet failed to make decisions, concerning the imposition of further restrictions or possibly even another lockdown, during an over six hour meeting due to disagreements between the ministers.

Further restrictions could include closing shops, malls and marketplaces and limiting gatherings and public transportation. The “tightened restraint” plan presented by Ash would have the education system close in orange and red cities. “One-on-one” services, including beauty salons and hairdressers, are expected to remain open.Ash told KAN on Monday that while the government is trying to avoid a third lockdown, implementing a lockdown now would mean it would be shorter than if one is implemented later.

The coronavirus cabinet meeting comes as seniors 60 years of age and older began receiving vaccinations against the virus across Israel on Monday. About 200,000 appointments have already been made for vaccinations, the Health Ministry announced on Monday.