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Israel tightens second lockdown as virus cases soar

Jerusalem
September 24, 2020

Israel on Thursday moved to further tighten its second countrywide lockdown as Coronavirus cases continued to soar.

The Cabinet voted to close all non-essential businesses, including open air markets. Prayers and political demonstrations would be limited to open spaces and no more than 20 people and participants would not be able to travel more than a kilometer from home for either.

The measures are set to go into force on Friday afternoon, as the country shuts down for the weekly Sabbath ahead of Yom Kippur on Sunday and Monday. Israel annually closes down for 24 hours in honor of the solemn holiday.

The restrictions are to last for at least two weeks, but synagogues will be allowed to open under restrictive conditions for Yom Kippur prayers.

Israel is currently reporting nearly 7,000 new daily cases making the outbreak in the country of 9 million people among the worst in the world on a per capita basis. Israel won praise this spring when it swiftly moved to seal its borders and shut down most businesses. By May, its daily rate of new cases had dropped into the double digits. But then it reopen the economy too quickly, leading to a surge of new infections over the summer.