Israel’s coronavirus cases topped 60,000 infections over the weekend when thousands of people took to the streets across the country to protest the government’s handling of the pandemic and demand the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Police confirmed on Sunday that more than a dozen Israelis had been arrested in Saturday night’s protests, which for the first time in the week-long movement, also saw people protesting outside Netanyahu’s private home.
Israel’s economy has been hit by the pandemic. Unemployment figures have risen to more than 20 percent, compared to 3.9 percent before closing.
Israel was one of the first countries to impose a total blockade when the virus arrived, reducing its infections to single digits in mid-May and earning praise from the country for containing the virus. But critics say the reopening of the country from its first-wave “iron fist” approach was hasty and erratic.
Last week, infections topped an average of 2,000 per day in the country of nine million, making it one of the worst second waves in the world. Death rates so far have remained relatively low, with 455 deaths reported.
Protesters have been taking to the streets for weeks demanding Netanyahu’s resignation for manipulating the reopening of the country and the poor implementation of financial aid packages.
The economy, paralyzed by the pandemic, has left one in five Israelis unemployed. The ad-hoc shutdowns of various sectors, in an attempt to contain the virus without reverting to full blockade, are fueling public anger.
Some closure measures were reintroduced last week as infections continued to rise, including tight weekend closings, gym closings, and a ban on eating indoors.
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