Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri have agreed to declare a full nationwide curfew for the eve of Passover, which begins at sundown on Wednesday.
Speaking to Channel 12 News, Deri explained, "We considered a curfew a few weeks ago, but we didn't want to paralyze the country. On Passover, no one works and offices are closed. Especially on seder night we don't want people moving around from one family to another. As much as it wrings our hearts, this year seder must be held with only the nuclear family.
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"On the night of Passover no one is shopping, everyone has already bought what they need. Occupants of a car on the road on seder night will have to explain their business to the police," Deri said.
When asked how long the Passover eve curfew would remain in place, Deri said he wasn't sure if it would be in effect for a day or longer. "We are discussing that, so people will be able to plan for it," he said.
On Monday, Acting Police Commissioner Moti Cohen was slated to hold a situation assessment ahead of the police deploying to enforce the Passover curfew. In addition to checkpoints at city borders and surprise checks on highways, the Traffic Police will be conducting patrols in unmarked cars to catch any drivers attempting to violate Health Ministry orders to stay at home. A source in the police said that the focus would mainly be on large family vehicles or cars carrying more than two passengers.
Earlier Sunday, Deri had warned that certain neighborhoods in Jerusalem were "in worse shape than Bnei Brak" in terms of the number of coronavirus cases. The Health Ministry wants nearly all the city's haredi neighborhoods -- Har Nof, Bayit Vegan, Givat Mordechai, Ramot, Ramat Shlomo, Sanhedria, Shmuel Hanavi, Beit Israel, HaBukharim, Mea Shearim, Geula, Zichron Moshe, Mekor Baruch, Givat Shaul, and Kiryat Moshe -- quarantined.
Discussing the possibility of placing these neighborhoods under quarantine, Deri said, "We've found a solution. The city will be divided into … eight districts. People can do their shopping and their errands within each district, but not move from one district to another. Of course, anyone who works and has a permit will be able to leave."
The Health Ministry is demanding that certain corona hot spots be added to the list of quarantined cities and towns to check the spread of the epidemic: haredi neighborhoods in Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem; Modi'in Illit and Betar Illit; and the settlement Elad.
On Sunday, the city of Betar Illit decided to ban entry to non-residents after Mayor Meir Rubenstein held a meeting with police officials who asked that the city step up vehicle checks to keep tabs on who was entering and leaving the city limits.
According to reports, Netanyahu and his ministers reached an agreement overnight Sunday to place these locations under quarantine, with entry and exit patrolled by the military. An announcement was expected Monday.
On Sunday, the Jerusalem District Police erected checkpoints at the entrance to the capital to enforce public health orders to check every incoming vehicle, leading to massive traffic tie-ups.
"Checkpoints have been set up at the entrance to Jerusalem to ensure the well-being, safety, and health of the public. We provided explanations [of the public health orders] while enforcing them," a police statement said.
The ministry is also asking the cabinet to discuss quarantines for other corona hotspots, including Tiberias, Ashkelon, and Migdal HaEmek.
