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Israel, with just over nine million inhabitants, has stood out as a role model when launching the vaccination campaign against covid-19. A third of the population has received the first dose, 1.8 million people have received both. Authorities expect the entire population over 16 to be vaccinated by the end of March.
However, assessments that the spread of the infection would begin to slow in mid-January have been embarrassing. Israel reports around 5,000 new cases a day and the number of serious illnesses has risen among those who have not yet received the vaccine. The most contagious virus variants and carelessness with restrictions are believed to be the cause.
At a government meeting On the night between Sunday and Monday, the government decided to extend the current national shutdown, the third in a row during the pandemic, five more days on Friday. The ban on flights to and from Israel continues to apply for the rest of the week, Reuters reports.
The trigger for the extension of the restrictions was a funeral in Jerusalem on Sunday, when at least 10,000 ultra-Orthodox Jews followed a prominent rabbi who died in COVID-19 until the final break. Images of the funeral procession show that social distancing was not applied. Within the ultra-Orthodox group, interest in following restrictions and the spread of infection is generally low. Ultra-Orthodox Jews are important to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the new elections in March, which are considered by various means to explain why the police did not intervene against the funeral procession.
Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Secretary Benny Gantz, who is the main opponent in the elections, disagrees with the country’s crown strategy. Netanyahu wanted to further extend the restrictions, Gantz only until Wednesday. On Wednesday, the government will meet to make a new evaluation.
Israel has 643,435 confirmed cases of covid-19. Just under 4,800 people have died in the suites from the disease. The country has been criticized for exempting the Palestinian population from vaccination.
