Against the backdrop of the spike in morbidity and fears of the British mutation, the government has approved a dramatic tightening of restrictions starting at midnight on Thursday - for two weeks • The move still requires Knesset approval • When will it be allowed to leave the house?
Who will continue to work or study?
Is it possible to fly abroad? • Questions and answers ahead of the closure
Hermetic closure for two weeks starting at midnight on Thursday:
Tonight (Tuesday) the ministers approved the Ministry of Health's proposal by a large majority, after it was made clear to them that any delay in the decision could lead to disaster.
So what is allowed and what is forbidden?
These are the emerging restrictions, but these regulations still require the approval of the Knesset, which can make changes to them.
As part of the tight closure, the education system will be completely shut down, public transportation will be reduced, the sky will be closed almost completely and only vital workplaces will continue to operate, even in a limited format.
The Ministers of Finance and Health will be empowered to determine the essential areas of employment that will be excluded on the basis of the existing list.
During the lengthy cabinet meeting, experts presented a horror scenario of more than 40,000 infected a day if a tight closure is not decided, following the spread of the British mutation.
The closure outline will take effect only after the Knesset approves it. Minister Amsalem of the Likud was the only one who opposed the proposal, apparently because it also did not include a ban on demonstrations.
Ministers Deri and Avitan of Shas abstained. Education Minister Galant, who until the meeting opposed the closure of the education system, finally supported the proposal.
During the closure, those who purchased tickets before the closure will be allowed to fly.
After that - only those who will receive an individual permit from the Exceptions Committee will be allowed.
Regarding the construction industry: The Prime Minister, the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Finance will summarize the policy on this issue related to the policy of Palestinians entering Israel.
The concern: 40,000 infected a day
As mentioned, according to models presented at the cabinet meeting that currently (Tuesday) discussed the imposition of a hermetic closure, there is a scenario that hundreds to thousands of Israelis will die in the third and violent wave of the Corona, due to the spread of the new mutations - British and South African.
According to the models, without the hermetic closure, there will be more than 40,000 infected people in Israel every day.
Education Minister Yoav Galant said at a cabinet meeting that he was ready to close the education system - but stressed that special education should be excluded, and that exams should be held for 11th-12th grade students during the closure period.
Galant: "Despite the vital need of students to reach out to educational institutions - I am forced to harness the entire education system for the national need to curb the spread of the epidemic through a short and intensive closure, across the economy including the education system."
According to the outline of the closure presented by the Corona commissioner, Prof. Ash, this is an end to the activity of the education system (apart from special education and boarding schools), a ban on professional sports, and allowing activity in the economy to only essential jobs.
According to the Ministry of Education, there are currently 14,293 students and 2,465 teaching staff verified in Corona.
Photo: GPO
Finance Minister Israel Katz opposed the proposed outline. Katz asked not to close the parks, not to close businesses where there is no public reception and to limit the closure to only two weeks.
Homeland Security Minister Amir Ohana proposed banning demonstrations during the closure: "I am in favor of a closure at the tightest level possible until the vaccinations are completed. These days demonstrations are being held by all factions of the population. This is not a political matter. "This is something that sends a message to the entire public and also makes it difficult for the police to work. Anyone who wants to go to a forbidden place can say that he is going to a demonstration. Therefore, a decision must be made for the public and not think about what they will say."
Minister Steinitz said at a cabinet meeting: "We must learn a lesson from the spread of the British mutation in Israel and henceforth ban the entry of anyone who has been in South Africa and its neighboring countries - even if it is an Israeli citizen - until we know the effects of the new mutation. "To repeat the mistakes that prevented the slowdown in the spread of the British mutation in the country, which is why we are now entering a closure that I think will last a month and not two weeks."
Netanyahu: "The corona is raging all over the world"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting: "I continue to work around the clock to bring millions of vaccines to Israel, and at the same time the health care system continues to vaccinate the citizens of Israel at a rate that arouses admiration all over the world.
We are in the first place in the world in vaccines, but we must also be in the first place in the world in saving lives. "
Commenting on the planned closure, Netanyahu said: "The Ministry of Health and experts warn us that we are in a state of emergency, and that if we do not act immediately we will lose many hundreds of Israelis who will die - and even more. We must not let that happen, certainly not at the finish line. I am sure all government members will be held accountable. "At this moment, this is what the public expects, and this is what the country needs. We will close and close immediately together with the continuation of the huge vaccination campaign. This is how we will save lives, this will be the first in the world to get out of the corona, this will open our economy.
Netanyahu added: "We are seeing the corona raging all over the world. The British mutation is out of control, Britain is now in full quarantine after a massive mortality rate. Unfortunately, our new corona mutation is also soaring, though not at the same rate. The most dangerous since the outbreak. "
Meanwhile, blue-and-white chairman and Defense Minister Bnei Gantz withdrew his opposition to a complete closure of the education system: "We said we would wait until the data is published, and at the moment the situation does not look good."
I call on you, citizens of Israel: Let us make one last effort - together.
This is how we will save lives, this is how we will be the first in the world to emerge from the corona, this is how we will open our economy, and this is how we will return to life.
pic.twitter.com/LP2oIaFGJn
- Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) January 5, 2021
Earlier today, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein gave a briefing to the media, following an emergency discussion with his office management following the alarming morbidity figures.
"We need to reach a full closure in the State of Israel, without work other than essential, with a closed education system and with zero congregations," Edelstein stressed.
He further stressed that "there is a possibility to get out of this, if we put aside all the irrelevant considerations, if we remember that there is still mutual guarantee in the country, I suggest that everyone think what their personal responsibility is, and how to get out of this trouble. "Countries that we like to get an example from in the normal years, we do not want to be like them this time. It is always darkest before dawn, we will continue the vaccination campaign and we will reach a safe shore, we will come if everyone works together."
Meanwhile, the government confirmed today that mothers who have been in the hospital continuously for an extended period and gave birth between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021, will be entitled to maternity benefits.
Finance Minister Israel Katz: "I am glad that we found a solution to a painful problem that happened because of the prolonged unemployment benefits during the corona."
Deputy Health Minister Yoav Kish posted a tweet on his Twitter account in which he wrote that the ministry is asking the government to approve an aggressive and immediate closure.
"There is an increase in morbidity in all sectors and in the whole country, a load on hospitals, a huge load on the test sets and the amputation of the infection chains along with the spread of the British mutation - must act and now," Kish wrote.
We ask the government to approve an aggressive and immediate closure.
The rise in morbidity in all sectors and in the whole country, the burden on hospitals, the enormous burden on the testing systems and the amputation of the transmission chains together with the spread of the British mutation -
must act and now!
- Yoav Kisch Yoav Kisch (@YoavKisch) January 5, 2021
According to the updated morbidity data, yesterday 8,308 people were infected with the corona virus in Israel out of 110,813 tests, with a positive test percentage of 7.6.
This is a jump of more than 3,000 infected a day, after the ministry updated yesterday that 5,205 people were diagnosed on Sunday.
The last time such a high number of infections per day was confirmed was in the midst of the second wave, on September 30, when 9,065 patients were diagnosed.
It should also be noted that the number of infections verified yesterday made Monday one of the days with the highest number of diagnoses since the outbreak of the plague.
As of this morning, there are 55,312 active patients in the country and in the hospitals 1,361 people are hospitalized, of whom 764 are patients with a severely defined condition.
Since the outbreak of the plague, 3,445 people have died in Israel.
