Israel is to impose curfews and close schools in dozens of cities and towns hit hard by the coronavirus, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces growing pressure to contain a rapid upsurge in infections.
Following the lead of Melbourne, San Francisco and dozens of Indian cities, the curfews were to go into effect at 7pm on Tuesday (2am Wednesday AEST) and last until 5am, according to Israeli authorities, who didn’t specify how long they would remain in place. Schools would be closed from Wednesday in those areas, they said.
The restrictions come as Israel prepares for the Jewish New Year holidays later this month, a period of travel and social gatherings that officials fear could further spread the virus after a sharp rise in infections in recent weeks.
Mr Netanyahu’s government initially voted to impose a full lockdown on the nine or 10 most virus-ridden cities and towns, on the recommendation of the country’s recently appointed coronavirus tsar, Ronni Gamzu.
Most are dominated by either ultra-Orthodox or Arab communities, who often live in the poorest and most crowded areas of the country.
But on Sunday night (Monday AEST), Mr Netanyahu changed tack after facing pushback from ultra-Orthodox mayors, who said their offices would refuse to comply with authorities. His government instead decided to impose a curfew and close schools in about 40 cities and towns with high infection rates.
Read the article by Dov Lieber in The Australian (from The Wall Street Journal)