Setting New One-Day COVID Records, Israel Gears up for Extended Lockdown Starting on Rosh Hashanah

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Israelis wear protective face masks in Tel Aviv, as the rate of newly infected increases. September 10, 2020. photo by Miriam Alster/FLASH90 *** Local Caption *** קורונה תל אביב מסיכה מסכות רוטשילד

JERUSALEM (JTS) — Israel appears poised to return all of its citizens to lockdown just before Rosh Hashanah next week, in a decisive action that comes as the country’s coronavirus outbreak spirals out of control.

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The country recorded more than 4,000 new cases Thursday and 22 new deaths, both records. Israel hurtled past the grim 1,000-death threshold last weekend, and it has the highest per-capita new infection rate in the world. The daily case total would be the equivalent of nearly 150,000 new cases in the United States.

The move to lock the entire country down starting in one week comes after days of political jockeying over how to rein in an increasingly desperate health crisis. Leaders in the country’s haredi Orthodox sector resisted any restrictions that would target their communities specifically.

Now, according to Israeli media reports, the government is on the verge of approving draconian restrictions that would shutter most businesses and public institutions and require Israelis to stay within 500 meters (about a quarter-mile) from their homes.

The lockdown would prevent prayer services from taking place during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, two of the biggest holidays in the Jewish calendar.

After a two-week period, some restrictions would be lifted, but schools would remain closed for another two weeks under the terms of the plan reportedly under consideration. Israeli schools, which some public health experts blamed for the virus’ rebound in the country after it initially seemed to curb its outbreak this spring, opened Sept. 1 for the school year.


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Israel
Israel
3 years ago

When are you people going to learn that positive tests results are not a problem because 80% of these people are asymptomatic and nearly all the rest have mild symptoms. The tests only look for genetic material and not infection. In America and Israel in particular the test is set at too a high a level of magnification (34 and 37 cycles respectively), whereas Germany sets it at 30. In fact, positive results are a good thing because these people are developing immunity. Because of the test we are characterizing a normal bodily response as a crisis. The body is always fighting disease. In Israel only 185 people under 70 have died and even then it’s not clear if they died from Covid19 or with it because even deaths that are clearly not caused by COVID19 are being labeled as if they were. In America only 6% of the so-called Corona deaths were situations where COVID19 was the primary cause. There have been people killed by gunshots or traffic accidents that were marked as COVID19. Hospitals in the USA get paid more for listing deaths as COVID19.

Educated Archy
Educated Archy
3 years ago

This article is misleading . Only large minyan is banned. Everyone is blowing shofer like the Torah says. Belz and viznhitz are ignoring rules .