Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that another nation-wide curfew on Jewish communities would be imposed during the festivities marking the end of Passover as Israel continues to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
The holiday ends Wednesday night, but the celebrations usually continue for several days.
The measure, which was set to get approved by the cabinet Monday night, prevents Israelis living in Jewish towns from leaving their communities from at 5 p.m Tuesday until 5 a.m Thursday. In addition, the selling of freshly baked bread products would be banned until Thursday morning in order to prevent people from large gatherings when Passover ends and the eating leavened bread is once again allowed under Jewish law.
Under the lockdown that has been in place for several weeks now Israelis are allowed to be at most 100 meters (110 yards) from their homes, unless they have to buy essential goods or have a health issue that has to be addressed. The new curfew means they cannot go beyond their city or community even for those matters.
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Senior officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Hayom that the events that traditionally mark the end of Passover could lead to a snowball effect that would result in Israelis disregarding the various restrictions on gatherings that have been in effect for about a month.
If this happens, the chances of community spread of COVID-19, the disease linked to the novel coronavirus, would increase dramatically.
"Israel's situation is relatively good because the citizens have abided by the rules," said one official. "It is crucial that these rules are followed so that the containment of the pandemic continues and our gains are not for nothing."
