"This is not a game. It's a matter of life and death," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday evening in a televised statement seeking to explain the new, harsher restrictions imposed on the public over the coronavirus outbreak.
The number of COVID-19 cases in Israel reached 337 on Tuesday. Five patients are said to be in serious condition, while 11 have recovered. Over 50,000 Israelis are currently under home quarantine.
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Earlier in the day, the Health Ministry instructed Israelis not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary – a dramatic step up from previous directives gradually limiting public gatherings with the aim of curbing the outbreak.
The new restrictions, which one government official described as "voluntary lockdown," were issued after many Israelis flouted the limitations placed on public gatherings and flocked to the beach, parks, and malls. As of Tuesday afternoon, the public has been ordered not to go out to parks, playgrounds, the beach, pools, libraries, museums or any other public venue.
Exceptions, for which a separate set of instructions for limiting social contact was issued, were made for short outings with young children and pets.
Other restrictions included the suspension of all elective medical procedures and non-urgent dental treatments, and instruction for deliveries – a sector whose activity has soared since the outbreak began – to be left outside customers' doors.
At this time, the Israel Police have not been asked to enforce the measures, but the public was expected to obey them. On Monday, the cabinet approved imposing hefty fines on those violating the quarantine order.
In his televised statement, Netanyahu said the state has dramatically increased its ability to track people who have been exposed to the virus.
"They will be ordered into quarantine and that will not be a recommendation. We will enforce this order adamantly. Maintain this [quarantine] is critical to stopping the outbreak," he said.
Israel will soon also "significantly increase testing for coronavirus, to 3,000 tests per day, and ultimately a possible 5,000 tests a day – the highest rate in the world," he added, noting that Israel was importing testing kits as well as producing them.
The healthcare system and particularly hospitals are bracing for an influx of seriously ill patients, and have ordered an additional 1,000 respirators, he said.
"We haven't lost anyone yet – I'm afraid that won't be the case for much longer," a somber Netanyahu continued. He urged the public "to act responsibly. These steps are meaningless unless the public complies.
"Too many Israelis don't seem to grasp the gravity of the situation. This isn't a game… it's a matter of life and death," he said.
"This is only the beginning of the fight against the virus. But we will not relent and we will not give up until we vanquish it."
Earlier in the evening, the Knesset said it was considering testing all MKs for coronavirus after a man who met with three lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19.
Sources in the Health Ministry said it is highly likely that the number of COVID-19 cases in Israel will most likely exceed 1,000 in the coming days.
This will not necessarily mean the disease was spreading, rather be a factor of the increased testing, the source said.
Still, ministry Director General Moshe Bar Siman-Tov said Tuesday that should Israeli experience a serious spike in infections, the restrictions imposed on the public could be exacerbated into a full-fledged closure.
If the public fails to take the ministry's directives seriously, "thousands could die," he warned.
