“It’s clear to everyone that if we don’t gain control we’ll be going to a lockdown,” a senior Health Ministry official was quoted as saying on Monday morning in a Yediot Achranot report. As Israel grapples with its fourth coronavirus wave, health experts say that another lockdown is inevitable as the continuous daily increase of coronavirus cases and seriously ill patients means that hospitals could be overloaded in a matter of weeks. The IDF’s Coronavirus National Information and Knowledge Center has warned that if drastic measures aren’t implemented soon, the number of seriously ill patients will skyrocket. According to sources in the ministry, if it becomes necessary to impose a lockdown it will be implemented during the Yamim Tovin in Tishrei. Chareidi MKs have already been complaining for weeks that the government is currently allowing Israeli travelers to enter the country with little restrictions or enforcement of quarantine and will instead announce a lockdown during the Yamim Tovim when the situation spirals out of control. Last week, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attacked the previous government’s policies involving lockdowns, saying: “If we adhered to the previous policies we would have already imposed lockdowns and restrictions that would have paralyzed life activities. But our policy is different and clear – preserving life alongside the routine of life.” “My goal is to preserve businesses, education, and culture alongside COVID and to prevents lockdowns as much as possible,” Bennett asserted. “The lockdowns have led to the loss of NIS 200 million.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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