Israel eyes a four month exit plan from second Covid lockdown
Health ministry will look at strategy involving nine stages with a specific drop in the daily number of infections is required to trigger each level
Israel’s health ministry will recommend a four-month plan to exit the current COVID-19 lockdown to government officials this week.
The exit strategy will involve nine stages that will likely take until February 2021, Israel’s Channel 12 reported on Saturday.
A specific drop in the daily number of infections is required to trigger each stage.
Israel went into a second nationwide lockdown in mid-September after an alarming spike in coronavirus cases representing what many are calling the worst second wave of infections in the world.
Politicians across the spectrum admit that the country’s economy opened too quickly the first time around, and the health ministry’s strategy takes a much slower tack. The government’s coronavirus committee will need to approve the new plan.
The first stage, set to begin in a week, will not progress until there are less than 2,000 daily infections. It will open pre-schools and kindergartens, end the under-a-mile limit that people can travel from their homes, allow family visits and reopen Ben Gurion Airport. The second stage, tentatively set for the first of November, will not allow more than 1,000 daily infections; it would open school for first through fourth grade and open synagogues.
The third stage, aimed for two weeks later, will require less than 500 new coronavirus cases a day. It will reopen retail stores, gyms, malls and markets.
Cities and towns with high rates of infection could reopen more slowly if their numbers do not improve.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
