Long before anyone even dreamed of vaccines, Israel emerged from its first lockdown to fight the coronavirus pandemic with two new daily cases for every 1 million citizens and an R number of 0.5 indicating the average spread from one person to another.
An irresponsible decision to reopen the economy despite warnings from health professionals, coupled with reprehensible behavior from some business owners, religious groups and others, led to a second lockdown.
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Members of the Hassidic community holding a mass gathering in Jerusalem during the Purim holiday in February
The country emerged from that one with 75 new daily cases for every 1 million people and an R number as high as 1.7, still with no vaccines in sight.
Israelis would be wise to remember these facts, especially when some officials are extending "apologies" to the Haredi community for advocating harsh restrictions during the Purim holiday at the end of February.
The relatively low morbidity after Purim should not be celebrated. We should look at just how low it could have been, had health regulations over Purim been observed and not flouted across many sectors of Israeli society.
Israelis paid dearly for cutting loose and celebrating the holiday irresponsibly with secular street parties and religious gatherings.
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Israelis hold a Purim street party in Jaffa flea market in violation of health regulations
(Photo: Itay Blumenthal)
For even though most of the adult population has been vaccinated at least once, there are still well over 1,000 new cases of COVID-19 every day.
There are also close to 600 patients hospitalized in serious condition, about one third of them in critical condition.
Israel should wait before celebrating the end of the pandemic again and definitely not lift any more restrictions before Passover, which begins next week.
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Residents of the Haredi neighborhood of Jerusalem violating health regulations during Purim in February
(Photo: AFP)
If we just wait a few more weeks before throwing caution to the wind, we may see the real potential that vaccines have to free us from the virus.
We should wait until we see less than 500 new cases every day and a mere handful of seriously ill patients.
Israel has prematurely celebrated the end of the pandemic twice in the past year. This eagerness has cost lives and destroyed livelihoods.
Why would we repeat the same mistakes now, when we are so close to real victory?