Ministry of Health has released the update on the number of infected • 54 of the patients in respiratory distress, 89 recovered and 12 died • Today, armed soldiers will reinforce police forces in enforcement actions • After many warnings to civilians who violated police guidelines warn: "We will tolerate zero tolerance"
Empty roads // Photo: Ami Shuman
Crown Department at Rambam Hospital in Haifa // Photo: Michelle Dot Com
Corona eruption in Israel: As of this morning (Sunday), there are 3,865 verified patients in Israel, 66 of them in serious condition, 54 in respiratory disease, and 82 in moderate condition. So far, 12 people have died from the virus in Israel, and only 89 have recovered. The government is preparing to tighten restrictions, perhaps to the point of complete closure.
Photo: Gil Kramer // Editing: Eden Barel
This morning, hundreds of armed soldiers are patrolling the streets of Israel alongside police and inspectors, in order to enforce the new restrictions on traffic. The government will today decide on new restrictions in the public sphere, with Defense Minister Bennett and Interior Minister Deri opposing a full-fledged move, claiming closure for residents over the age of 65 is enough.
Enforcement Separation at Supermarkets
In the meantime, steps are being made to keep distance between grocery shoppers, and the possibility of prohibiting food from the grocery store which is more than 2 miles from the residence is being considered. Supermarkets require to equip them with thermometers to test buyers.
In the first phase, the IDF assigned about 500 soldiers to maintain the public health order in the cities. In the military, they say that if necessary, they could be assigned to 12 battalions - thousands of soldiers. The soldiers will be armed, despite initially not being equipped with weapons.
More on :
• Ministry of Health: "Only 8 out of 6,000 tests detected error, we will redo them"
• In line for business: PM approved relief
Kahlon warned at Netanyahu's meeting: "We will go into economic disaster"
Police went through a busy Saturday trying to enforce the closure laws. 58 closure orders were issued yesterday for businesses operating in contravention of regulations, and beyond that, police and inspectors yesterday distributed a total of 1,296 enforcement reports to Israeli citizens, with 105 of the reports being given to business owners operating in violation of the directives.
"We will tolerate zero tolerance"
Israeli police officers visited 2,718 people yesterday to check that they did not violate the isolation rules (out of 45,000 checked by yesterday), with 135 investigations opened against civilians who were found to be violating the isolation rules. By the way, 40 investigations have so far been opened against people who have been distributing Pike News on the Corona virus. Police say: "The Israeli police are acting with increased force to enforce the restrictions, and are deployed across the country to curb the spread of the epidemic. We regard each violation as endangering public peace and health, and will tolerate zero tolerance against anyone who dares to risk the entire public."
Empty roads? Not in the north
Over the weekend, the vast majority of the public maintained traffic restrictions, and most of Israel's roads were empty. However, in the Arab neighborhoods of northern Jerusalem, Shuafat and Beit Hanina, there was a heavy traffic of vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists over the weekend. While most of the shops were closed, the difference between the empty roads in the west of the city and those of parts of the north of the city - narrow to the eye.