Israeli occupation government said on Friday it was imposing weekend restrictions to limit the spiraling spread of coronavirus in the hope of avoiding a general lockdown further along the line.
From 5:00pm local time (1400 GMT) on Friday restaurants and gyms would be closed until 5:00am on Sunday, a joint statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office and the health ministry said.
Gatherings of more than 10 people in closed spaces and 20 in the open air, excluding approved workplaces and nuclear families, will also be banned.
These measures will take effect immediately and apply every weekend until further notice, the statement said.
However, “there will be no restriction on leaving one’s home,” it added.
Friday evening is the start of the Jewish sabbath, when many restaurants close, while Sunday is the start of the Israeli working week.
The statement said that the new steps were “to prevent a general lockdown in light of the sharp increase in the morbidity of the coronavirus.”
The Israeli government has come under criticism amid a resurgence in cases after lockdown measures were lifted.
The Zionist entity had recorded 46,059 confirmed cases by Thursday night, including 384 dead.
On Friday morning, Israeli media reported that Health Ministry figures showed 1,832 new infections were confirmed over the past 24 hours and three more deaths were recorded overnight.
Source: AFP and Israeli media
