Israeli officials hoping to stem an increase in coronavirus cases announced broad new restrictions on Friday, including who can use gyms and which companies can stay open on weekends.
The measures imposed by the Israeli government came amid 1,900 new infections reported on Thursday. In late May, Israel had largely contained its coronavirus outbreak after a two-month blockade, but cases are now on the rise again as restrictions were lifted.
Under new measures, gyms and exercise studios will be closed except for the use of competitive athletes. The beaches will be closed on weekends, starting later this month.
A group of ultra-Orthodox Jewish youths wear protective face masks following government measures to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, as they walk Thursday in the Old City of Jerusalem. (AP)
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Stores, shopping malls, hairdressers, beauty salons and tourist sites will close on weekends, starting on Friday. And public meetings will be limited to 10 people indoors or 20 people outside.
In a statement released Friday afternoon, the government also said that restaurants would have until Tuesday to switch to takeout and delivery only.
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Initially, restaurants were ordered to suspend sit-down meals on Friday night, but the government then backed down after an uproar from the owners. The restaurateurs said they already had fresh food for the weekend rush and would suffer huge financial losses if they had to throw it away.
A man wearing a makeshift face mask passes by a billboard on Thursday raising awareness of the use of face masks and hand washing to help stop the spread of the coronavirus, in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, Israel. (AP)
The Israeli government announced the restrictions after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “provisional measures” were needed to avoid another general blockade.
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Any violation, The Associated Press said, would be considered a criminal offense.
Despite the growing outbreak, the death toll from the coronavirus in Israel has remained low. Of the more than 45,000 confirmed cases, 384 have been fatal.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
