Israel is the first in the world to renew quarantine due to Covid-19 / Article / LSM.lv

On Friday, September 18, Israel will enter into force a second national quarantine regime, making it the first country to reintroduce such a regime. The government’s efforts to reduce the scale of the Covid-19 outbreak have sparked dissatisfaction among many Israelis. These include doctors, teachers and economists.

Israel announced its first quarantine regime for Covid-19 in mid-March, but restrictions began in May. However, Israel has now been hit by a second wave of the virus. The state has increased the amount of testing. On Thursday, September 17, nearly 57,000 tests were performed in the country, of which more than 5,200 were positive. To date, more than 1,100 people have died from the virus in a country with a population of almost 9 million.

Even before the re-introduction of the quarantine regime, Israel tried to avoid it by imposing strict restrictions on weekends or only in certain regions. That has not been enough.

Ash Ashmon, a spokesman for the Israeli Ministry of Health, said: “The number of people infected has been rising in recent weeks. We introduced various restrictions, but they were partly to allow the economy and society to function, but unfortunately this is not working and we need to take much stricter measures.

It is not a complete closure, but it is a severe limitation, and I would like to say that it is an ‘almost complete’ closure. “

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier that Israel would have to significantly tighten restrictions in the fight against the virus. However, on Thursday evening, less than a day before the new restrictions came into force, the bars and cafes of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem were full.

The three-week isolation regime took effect on Friday at 2 p.m. It happened just a few hours before the Jewish New Year, and it will continue during several other religious holidays. It is customary to celebrate the holiday with the family, but this time it will be missed.

During quarantine, Israelis must not be more than a kilometer from their homes.

True, there are exceptions for going to work, after significant purchases and for sports. Schools and kindergartens have been closed since Thursday. Many companies, including hotels and shopping centers, are banned from starting work. In turn, supermarkets, pharmacies and food supply companies continue to operate.

No more than ten people may gather together indoors, but no more than 20 people outdoors. Restrictions indoors will also affect prayers in synagogues.

Ministers who opposed the second quarantine regime call it a disaster, warning that hundreds of thousands of people will lose their jobs. Ministers are not the only ones opposed to a re-quarantine regime. Many Israelis are dissatisfied, including doctors, teachers and economists.

That is why hundreds of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Thursday night to protest.

Tamir Hefets, one of the protesters, expressed his dissatisfaction with the restrictions: “This quarantine regime is hurting both the people and the economy. It causes unemployment and suicide. If a person does not feel good emotionally, he does not feel well physically. And there is no justification for these restrictions. “

Israel has become the first country to reintroduce a state-level quarantine regime. Neighboring Lebanon had previously planned to do the same, but a few days before the quarantine took effect, the authorities abandoned the plan due to strong public opposition.

CONTEXT:

About the new coronavirus spread China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) late last year in the central Chinese city of Wuhan, home to 11 million people. World Health Organization in March 2020 announcedthat Covid-19 has reached the level of a global pandemic.

A few months later, in the summer, many countries saw a decline in the spread of the infection, leading to the lifting of a series of strict restrictions. However, in mid-September WHO warnedthat Europe will face an increase in Covid-19 coronavirus deaths in the autumn months.

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