The government discussed on Monday the possibility of placing Israel under lockdown during Independence Day, similar to the closure announced on Passover, as part of the national effort to stave off the coronavirus outbreak.
During closed discussions, National Security Council (NSC) and Defense Ministry officials raised concerns that the country's seventy-second Independence Day, which is set to begin next Tuesday evening, may lead Israelis to breach social distancing regulations and ultimately cause mass coronavirus infections.
Memorial Day, which takes place the day before Independence Day, will likely be excluded.
Cemeteries and memorial sites will remain open, but only for state ceremonies and without grieving families in attendance.
Sunday night, a forum of top Defense Ministry officials advised Defense Minister Naftali Bennett to sign a special warrant prohibiting entry to military cemeteries on Memorial Day, after several families requested to visit the graves of their loved ones on that day.
Bennett advised the NSC to call on families of fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism to refrain from coming to cemeteries, but avoid aggressive enforcement to prevent clashes with law authorities.
Officials also considered allowing families to visit their loved ones in the days leading up to Memorial Day in order to prevent mass gatherings.
Meanwhile, the Knesset Ministerial Committee on Symbolic and Ceremonial Affairs, led by Culture Minister Miri Regev, introduced on Monday a host of changes to state ceremonies during the coronavirus outbreak.
The official Memorial Day event in Jerusalem is set to take place without an audience and without the physical presence of President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and other elected officials.