The main topic of discussion over the weekend was the soon to be imposed countrywide closures. Although the chatter largely began with a viral WhatsApp message – which turned out to be fake news, one form of closure or another is sure to become a reality in the very near future.
Essentially, the Health Ministry sought to initiate such a move as early as Saturday, but was blocked by the ministries of finance and economy due to the immense economical ramifications. The decision was not to restrict businesses (including places of leisure), but companies were asked to keep as many employees home as possible.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Behind the scenes, preparations are being expedited, as the decision to impose a complete shutdown is ultimately forthcoming. The decision will depend on the number of infections and the contraction rate on the ground, which could indicate that the pandemic has spiraled out of control.
In this scenario Israel will transition to a state of national emergency: In accordance with a government decision, management of the economy will be transferred to the Defense Ministry, which will apply special authorities given to it under law. These will include – if and when the time comes – shutting down all places of work in the country, excluding several thousand factories designated as "essential." Only people who work in these places will be permitted to leave their homes. Citizens will be allowed to go only short distances from their homes – mostly to buy food or medicine – and restrictions on the number of people allowed to gather in a specific space and the personal distances between them will be stringently enforced, as is the case in Italy at the moment.
The Israel Police is tasked with enforcing these restrictions on the public. But on Saturday a senior official confessed that the organization lacks the manpower for the mission, and will require the help of the IDF. The IDF would rather not be assigned such a mission, in order to avoid the precedent of soldiers policing cities across the country.
We can assume that if the situation becomes extreme, the mission will indeed fall on the IDF because no other state body can carry out a mission of this scope, and the police will have plenty of other jobs to perform. Preparations for this scenario are already underway, including broad recruitment of reserves or reassigning non-combat troops to policing missions.
In the meantime, the IDF is tightening its protocols in order to prevent widespread infection within its ranks. As reported by Israel Hayom on Friday, tens of thousands of soldiers who were ordered to report to their units on Sunday morning were told to prepare to remain on base for one month. These units include all combat outfits, the air force, navy and intelligence branches, where the majority of soldiers will enter "reverse isolation" – they will stay on their bases, which will be closed off to prevent infection from the outside. Non-essential support troops will be ordered to stay at home.
The army is also preparing to build temporary hospitals in the north, center, and south of the country. These will be activated only if the infection rate spikes and will only be used to treat mild cases to ensure patients remain completely quarantined from the community. Also behind the scenes, the Defense Ministry is preparing to appropriate hotels and hostels across the country and use them to quarantine the infected.
The defense establishment has also bolstered cooperation with the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, with the understanding that this is one geographical unit and that upholding rigorous restrictions in all areas is critical for preventing the virus from spreading. Senior officials lauded the cooperation with the relevant bodies in Judea and Samaria and Gaza, even saying the coronavirus has "calmed the Middle East down" because all countries (including the various terrorist organizations) are now solely focused on stopping the virus.
