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Israel has become the first country in the world to announce a second national coronavirus lockdown.
Answering to a dizzying rate of infection and deathPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed the decision in a late-night television press conference.
The closure will last three weeks and will take effect at 2 p.m. Friday, coinciding with a major Jewish holiday, Rosh Hashanah.
“I know that these steps are a very high price for all of us,” Netanyahu said.
“These are not the parties we are used to. We certainly won’t be able to celebrate with our extended family.”
Responding to critical questions, he defended his leadership through the crisis saying: “If we keep the rules, and I trust this, we will defeat the virus. I see the vaccine on the way, and I see the rapid tests that are on the way.”
Israel currently has one of the worst coronavirus infection rates in the world per capita, with 37,482 active cases.
Some 2,715 people tested positive on Saturday and the country reached a record 513 patients in serious condition, of which 139 are intubated.
At least 1,108 people have died.
Israel is a small country with a population of just under nine million.
During the three week period, all restaurants, shops and recreational facilities will be closed.
Schools will also be closed and the public cannot be more than 500 meters from their home.
Shoppers seen in Jerusalem market as coronavirus cases skyrocket
Supermarkets, pharmacies and other essential suppliers will be allowed to open and restaurants will be allowed to offer takeout and home delivery services.
The decision has caused significant political tension in an already highly dysfunctional coalition government. The cabinet meeting is reported to have lasted seven hours.
Netanyahu faced dozens of protesters when he arrived at the airport late Sunday night to catch a flight to Washington DC, where he will sign diplomat. standardization agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
He has faced increasing calls to resign in recent weeks due to allegations of corruption and his handling of the coronavirus.
Many ministers opposed another shutdown, some for relationship reasons and others for financial concerns.
Both the science minister and the economy minister warned that the economic damage will be so severe that the country will not recover.
Finance Minister Israel Katz blamed the Health Ministry for failures to contain the outbreak and warned of the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Another minister, Yucal Steinitz, said: “It is good that he is raising the red flag now, when the hospitals are filling up, but he had to raise that red flag a month or two ago.”
Tourism Minister Asaf Zamir said: “A total closure of the entire country during the holidays is too extreme a step and has economic implications from which entire industries will not recover.”
Housing Minister Ya’acov Litzman resigned before the cabinet meeting, opposing the closure on religious grounds. He argued that Netanyahu lacked appreciation for religious observance.
According to the public broadcaster Kan, the finance ministry projects a weekly loss to the economy of NIS 6.5bn (£ 1.4bn) as a result of the national shutdown.
A report from Israel’s Coronavirus Information Center, released on Sunday, said that the country’s hospitals were approaching maximum capacity, although doctors at some of the country’s hospitals questioned it.
Benjamin Netanyahu announced the closure at a television conference
A series of Jewish holidays throughout September and October have raised concerns that the infection rate could rise further.
The second blockade marks an extraordinary change in Israel’s fortunes.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the country was seen as a beacon of how to contain the virus.
The first strict lockdown was imposed early – people obeyed and it seemed to work.
However, the blockade was reduced as quickly as it was imposed.
Few people wore masks properly and social distancing was almost completely absent in a society where religion, culture and politics presented a perfect pandemic storm.
The government’s coronavirus commissioner Ronni Gamzu, who has been calling for the shutdown for several weeks, warned last month: “The disease state in Israel is one of the worst and most complicated in the world.”
In the West Bank, which is managed in part by the Palestinian Authority, there are 9,845 active cases. No blocking decisions have been made.
In Gaza, run by the Palestinian Hamas faction, there are 1,588 active cases and 15 deaths, representing an exponential increase.
