Ahead of a likely decision to order a complete shutdown over the upcoming Passover holiday, the cabinet will convene Tuesday morning to finalize the newest measures aimed at curbing the spread of the coronavirus. In all likelihood, the directives that will be approved will be even more severe than those the Prime Minister suggested in his speech Monday night.
In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said the government was further restricting movement for Passover, which begins Wednesday evening with the festive seder meal.
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"We're in a fateful week. A fateful week for the world and for Israel," Netanyahu said. "Every family will sit down for seder night on its own. Celebrate only with the immediate family that's at home with you now."
Beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. until Saturday night at 8 p.m. the government is expected to ban movement between cities. From Wednesday at 2 p.m., just before Passover begins that evening, until 7 a.m. on Thursday, Israelis will not be allowed to leave their homes.
Netanyahu said similar travel restrictions would be in place for the upcoming holidays of Easter and Ramadan later in April.
The closure is to be extended to the entire country, rather than a handful of cities, after ultra-Orthodox ministers – United Torah Judaism head Yaakov Litzman and Shas leader Aryeh Deri – protested the restrictions being rolled out largely in Haredi areas.
At the cabinet meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, ministers are expected to officially approve the complete lockdown.
At the same time, the prime minister said that "there are positive signs on the horizon" and that preparations were already underway for a possible easing of movement restrictions after Passover.
Israel has reported nearly 9,000 cases of coronavirus and 57 deaths.
Under restrictions already in place, Israelis have been instructed by the government to venture no more than 100 yards from home, with the exception of those going to workplaces that are still open or to shop for groceries or medicine.
Netanyahu noted much higher death tolls in other countries and said the numbers in Israel are a result of government measures to contain the outbreak.
"There is a real possibility that if the positive trends continue we will gradually end the lockdown after the Passover holiday," he said.
Restrictions will be eased according to "the level of risk among the population," he said, with those most vulnerable remaining in isolation longest.
The government-imposed limitations have forced many businesses to close, sending unemployment soaring to 25%.
Meanwhile, the Knesset early Tuesday passed an amendment that will allow the country to increase its budget and deficit in order to finance a NIS 90 billion ($25 billion) economic rescue package to help the country overcome the coronavirus crisis.
The bill passed by 62-0, relying on three votes from the Arab-majority Joint List to barely secure the necessary number of votes. The Blue and White faction, which is in talks to join a unity government, also supported the bill.
The bill that passed was an emergency amendment to Israel's Basic Law on the State Economy, which will allow for "adapting the budget ceiling and limits on monthly expenditure in order to deal with the coronavirus crisis and financially assist the citizens."
A Blue and White official said, "All members of the Blue and White faction, including [Labor] MKs [Amir] Peretz and [Itzik] Shmuli, came together to ensure a majority for the legislation," the official said.
