Israel reportedly to close bars, night clubs and gyms amid spike in COVID-19 cases

Israel reportedly to close bars, night clubs and gyms amid spike in COVID-19 cases
# 06 July 2020 16:39 (UTC +04:00)

The coronavirus cabinet met Monday to determine the next steps to help stop the renewed spread of the novel coronavirus and approved a series of new restrictions effective immediately: clubs, bars, cultural shows, and gyms will close and synagogue attendance at 19 people, APA reports citing The Jerusalem Post.

Late Sunday night, the Health Ministry was recommending closing synagogues in their entirety. However, the cabinet accepted the proposal of Interior Minister Arye Deri and decided to leave them open with limited attendees.

"We are required to address the coronavirus epidemic on the ground," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the start of the meeting. The plague is spreading - it is clear as daylight. The numbers are rising steeply each day and with it the number of severely ill patients.

"Today, there are about 90 severely ill patients and that doubles every day," he continued. "If we do not act now, we will have hundreds and possibly thousands of serious patients in the coming weeks... That is why we are required to take immediate steps."

The Health Ministry, which came to the table with a series of recommendations, said that if decisions were not made on Monday that by next week the discussion would center on a total lockdown. The head of the National Security Council expressed similar sentiments.
"We are one step away from a total closure," National Security Council head Meir Ben-Shabbat said.

The full list of restrictions is as follows:

1. Event halls, clubs and bars - closed
2. Restaurants - 20 people sitting inside, up to 30 outside
3. Synagogues - 19 people
4. Gyms and public pools - closed
5. Cultural performances - closed
6. Organized sporting events - without fans
7. hotels and tourism - clubs and bars closed, hotel restaurants 20 people (closed seating)
8. Summer camps - closed for children over fourth grade
9. Buses - up to 20 people per bus, with windows open and no air-conditioning
10. Gatherings - up to 20 people, two meters apart with masks
11. Government offices - 30% of staff required to work from home

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THE OPERATION IS BEING PERFORMED