The so-called coronavirus cabinet, which leads Israel's response to the pandemic, decided on Thursday to impose lockdowns on 30 localities with high COVID-19 infection rates.
Under these new measures, residents will be prohibited from venturing more than 500 meters (1600 feet) away from home except for the supply of food, medicine, and other essential house maintenance needs; all "non-essential" businesses will be shuttered; educational institutions will be closed except for kindergartens and special education; and travel to, within, and from the cities, and even certain neighborhoods will be restricted.
The restrictions are set to come into effect on Monday and ministers are expected to finalize the list of localities that will be placed under lockdown by Sunday.
Restrictions will be in effect for a week and might be extended upon reassessment.
The lockdown will be lifted when a locality's infection rate has dropped lower than 1% of its entire population.
Police will announce in which cities it is prepared to enforce the closure by Sunday. In case law authorities fail to prepare to enforce the restrictions in time, the closure will not take effect.
The cabinet will discuss the possibility of imposing a nationwide lockdown next Thursday.
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Abandoned Tel Aviv streets during Independence Day coronavirus lockdown, May 2020
(Photo: Moti Kimchi)
Meanwhile, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, Israel ranks first in the world in the number of new coronavirus infections per capita. It is then followed by Bahrain, Brazil, Kuwait and the United States.