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The number of new infections in Israel continues to increase rapidly. Corona’s national officer sounds the alarm and warns against recklessness. But the population has apparently lost confidence in the government.
By Benjamin Hammer, ARD Studio Tel Aviv
Ronni Gamzu is quite a practical man, but the Israeli government’s Crown Officer had had enough for the night. More new corona infections have been detected in Israel than ever since the start of the pandemic. And this despite the fact that the so-called second wave has been here for more than three months. With an appeal on Israeli television, Gamzu addressed the population last night:
“This is a message to all of Israel. No more weddings. No more crowds. Stop breaking the rules in restaurants or elsewhere. All of Israel is at war. Sorry to get emotional. But this is a crucial moment.”
Increase in Israeli Arabs and Ultra-Orthodox Jews
The number of infections recorded in Israel is among the highest in the world. Statistically speaking, it is particularly high in two population groups: among Israeli Arabs and among ultra-Orthodox Jews. Groups with less living space and densely populated cities. But possibly more rules will be broken.
According to media reports, 5,000 people celebrated a wedding in an Arab city in the north of the country, many of them without a mask. In the ultra-Orthodox sector, hundreds of cases were detected in religious schools in just a few days.
A well-known rabbi asked religious students to stop getting tested for the virus. The religious students were finally left alone. A point of view that the government representative Gamzu harshly criticized: “I would like to tell the ultra-Orthodox population that the issue must be taken very seriously. You have to take the test, take the test and take the test again.”
Little trust in the government
In Israel, the number of people dying from or with Covid-19 is also increasing. That worries many scientists. Including Ora Paltiel, professor of health care at the Hebrew University. “I think many other countries have already introduced stricter rules,” he says. There are several reasons why this is not happening in Israel. “One is the lack of trust in the population.”
Israel’s new government took office in May promising to focus almost entirely on fighting the pandemic. But many Israelis no longer buy it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rarely comments on the pandemic.
The Israeli government promised during the summer break that the number of infections would drop significantly when school started. It didn’t happen that way. Many schools reopened this week. Something like this destroys confidence, says Paltiel: “Some parts of the population, be it a certain age group, ethnic group or religious group, have not yet internalized that this epidemic exists.” These groups do not feel part of the solution, says the teacher, and that is bad.
In the evening, the so-called Corona cabinet decided that 30 cities with a particularly high number of infections should be partially cordoned off. Corona’s officer, Gamzu, wants to shake up the population. “Anyone not wearing a mask or breaking the rules spits in the face of the doctors and nurses who work 24 hours a day in Corona’s wards.” Researchers from the Hebrew University warn that hospitals could be congested within two weeks.
