"The statistics will determine how things go," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after being asked Thursday whether the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic would be tightened or eased. Speaking on a Facebook livestream, Netanyahu added: "If we see the lockdown isn't working well enough, we will tighten it. If we see a decrease in the [infection] numbers we can start talking about an exit."
Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz objected to this position, saying that "policy has been determined and protocols have been set. We need to be consistent and uphold them until the results become clear."
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Gantz's comments came ahead of the next corona cabinet meeting on Monday afternoon, in which ministers are expected to further discuss the criteria for easing restrictions on the public.
The Israel Police, meanwhile, was preparing to prevent public gatherings over the Sukkot holiday, which begins Friday, Oct. 2, and runs until the following Friday, Oct. 9.
Police officials emphasized that the ultra-Orthodox sector would not receive any concessions. After several of the main Hassidic sects built large sukkas for their followers, police officials pointed to municipalities as the bodies authorized to dismantle illegal structures. With that, the police will be in charge of dispersing crowds, and in recent days district commanders spoke to Hassidic leaders and told them large gatherings would be dispersed and organizers would be fined.
The public pressure over lockdown infractions among the large Hassidic sects has been effective, and on Thursday two large sects – Belz and Vizhnitz – announced the cancellation of Sukkot events.
It still remains to be seen, however, whether these sects will still hold prayer services and other events.
Also Thursday, Maj. Gen. (res.) Roni Numa, the head of the Haredi desk with the emergency coronavirus task force, said talks were ongoing with respective Hassidic leaders.
"Some of them argue, some of them don't agree," he said. Referring to a large gathering of Vizhnitz followers on the eve of the recent Yom Kippur high holiday in violation of lockdown and social safety guidelines, Numa said, "It does harm. To [the Haredi] public and to the general public."
According to Numa, there were around 21,000 active coronavirus cases among Haredim and 69,000 in Israel altogether. Some 5,000 of them are young yeshiva students, in the 17-24 age group. Numa, however, said, "The sense that thousands of yeshiva students are walking around infecting others was simply wrong. It's possible we haven't been able to locate a number of infected individuals."
Professor Roni Gamzu, the national coronavirus commissioner, said: "We received bad news in terms of the scope of morbidity in the Haredi sector. The number of infections in the Haredi sector is around 40% of the confirmed cases in recent days. We are troubled by the number of patients over the age of 60 in Haredi society. The violations on the part of the Haredim are extending the lockdown."
The majority of the Haredi public, including the Lithuanian and Sephardi groups, are following lockdown guidelines. The main problem is in the Hassidic sects and the closed neighborhoods, such as Mea Shearim. For example, Edah Haredit Rabbinical Court Vice President Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch has already called on his followers to "observe all the customs" over the Sukkot holiday. "All the [lockdown] decisions are tainted with politics and lies," he added.
Sternbuch also declared he was ready to be arrested rather than close any synagogues despite the lockdown.
"We should not fear the government and synagogues must be kept open. We should not be afraid of jail. On the contrary, I am ready to be arrested," he told Kehilah Kadisha, an ultra-Orthodox newspaper.
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