After promising to “hit the emergency brake” on easing coronavirus restrictions on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instituted new restrictions today (10th) caused by a surge in cases. Israelis are now mandated to wear masks once again, and gatherings of more than 50 people are prohibited. Another lockdown is a worst-case scenario, but it will be triggered if one of three conditions occurs: if 250 people are in serious condition, if more than 100 cases a day are recorded outside of the virus hot spots, or if the rate of new infections doubles in less than 10 days. Israel was nearly back to its pre-pandemic regulations, as movie theaters and cultural centers were slated to open on Monday but have since seen their opening dates pushed back.
This probably feels like a crushing blow in Israel, but it’s a cautionary tale for the rest of the world for understanding the danger of reintroducing our regular ways of life too quickly. According to worldisraelnews.com, Israel’s Health Minister Yuli Edelstein said, “The disregard for regulations caused this spike. There is no magic involved: If you treat the instructions as recommendations, the coronavirus won’t leave us. It’s that simple.” A gradual return to normalcy looks like our only option since Israel’s failure to obey the restrictions led to this rise in cases. Hopefully this sad story will serve as a blueprint for other countries to help them avoid the same setback.
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