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Israel will shut most shopping centers, restaurants, cafes and entertainment facilities for at least five weeks as part of measures to contain the coronavirus outbreak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Saturday.
The move - which essentially shuts down most of country's business activity - was announced by Netanyahu in a special press conference where a series of drastic steps meant to fight the spread of COVID-19 were presented, as number of coronavirus cases in Israel nears 200.
He told the news conference that exceptions on the ban would include supermarkets, pharmacies and gas stations.
Netanyahu kicked off by saying he had received a permission from Justice Ministry to obtain digital data on confirmed coronavirus patients in order to retrace their whereabouts.
"The enemy is invisible and we want to locate it, he said, “First of all, we have to identify the ill and we are using everything at our disposal, including digital means that we have to fight against terrorism,” he added.
The move would help trace a potential spread of the disease without the Health Ministry having to conduct epidemiological investigations, which are not always accurate.
The prime minister also said anyone who is not required to physically be at their place of work to say home. In the event people need to leave their house, they must keep the distance of at least 2 meters (6.5 feet) from others.
Siegal Sadetzki, Head, Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit at The Gertner Institute, also spoke at the news conference and said the directive to limit public gathering has been tightened.
“We ask for there not to be no more than ten people in one space, and they also have the obligation to keep 2 meters away from each other,” she said.
In addition, it was also announced the limited operations of various modes of public transportation and the public was urged to think twice before using public transport. Nevertheless, so far there is no limit on a number of passengers allowed on busses or train.
Furthermore, the closure of the education sector, which so far included schools and universities, will be extended to kindergartens, special education and boarding schools.
Israeli military has also tightened its guidelines for the soldiers, with the army calling on all troops away for the weekend to return on Sunday morning to their bases and be prepared for a month-long stay away from home.