The coronavirus lockdown has been tightened in Israel. The new restrictions came into effect at midnight local time today. Parliament approved the measures yesterday at the urging of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The third lockdown since the pandemic began in Israel at the end of December. Up until now, schools and shops that are not essential for the supply of citizens have been allowed to remain open. Now they must remain closed.
The reason is the continued high number of infections. In addition, people are now generally not allowed to move further than 1,000 meters from their houses and apartments. Various exceptions apply, such as visits to the doctor and the purchase of groceries. The tightened lockdown should apply for at least two weeks.
Netanyahu promises vaccinations for over 16-year-olds by the end of March
Hours before the new restrictions came into force, Israel received its first delivery of the CoV vaccine from the US company Moderna. More than 1.5 million people in the country have already received an initial dose of the vaccine from the German company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer.
Netanyahu claims to have immunized all Israelis over the age of 16 by March. Israel will be the first country to leave the coronavirus crisis behind, announced the campaigning politician.
